WORLD HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -In the brutal nine-year conflict, an estimated one million civilians were killed, as well as 90, 000 Mujahideen fighters and 18, 000 Afghan troops. The country was left in ruins. Several million Afghans had either fled to Pakistan for refuge or had become internal refugees.

Detailed explanation-2: -The Soviet Union (USSR) was a major power broker and influential mentor in Afghan politics. Since 1947, Afghanistan had been under the influence of the Soviet government and received large amounts of aid, economic assistance, and military equipment and training from the Soviet Union.

Detailed explanation-3: -That year, the Taliban declared Afghanistan an Islamic emirate, with Mullah Mohammed Omar, a cleric and veteran of the anti-Soviet resistance, leading as amir al-mu’minin, or “commander of the faithful.” The regime controlled some 90 percent of the country before its 2001 overthrow.

Detailed explanation-4: -It was the first Soviet military expedition beyond the Eastern bloc since World War II and marked the end of a period of improving relations (known as détente) in the Cold War. Subsequently, the SALT II arms treaty was shelved and the U.S. began to re-arm.

Detailed explanation-5: -The United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union was enacted by US President Jimmy Carter in January 1980 in response to the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan in 1979. The embargo remained in effect until Ronald Reagan ended it in 1981 upon taking the office of president.