Afghanistan is considered one of the most Islamic countries in the world. Islam has a profound influence on the identity and social structure of the rural Afghans who compose an overwhelming majority of the population.
This became a threat to the Soviet union; who wanted to extend their territory to the far east and established their communist agenda.
On December 24th,1979 the Soviet union invades Afghanistan under the pretext of upholding the Soviet-Afghanistan friendship treaty of 1978.
Elements of the Afghan Army loyal to Hafizullah Amin put up a fierce, but brief resistance.
The Christians or atheist Soviet controlling Afghanistan as a defilement of Islam proclaiming a jihad (holy war). They gained the support of the Islamic world and the U S which is a fierce rival of the Soviet union during cold war also gave their support.
The Soviet union was demoralized and they started withdrawing their forces in 1988 which eventually paved the way to the fall of the communist Soviet union.
The war created a breeding ground for Alqaeda and the rise of Osama bin laden.
Watch out for the following
Episode 2: What happened after the fall of the communist party of the Soviet union in 1989.
Episode 3: How did the islamist Northern Alliance; a motivated group from the Muslim brotherhood in Egypt get to rule Afghanistan
How did the Taliban took over which mark their rise to power
Episode 4: What lead to their fall in 2001.
Director
Centre for Islamization of knowledge, Thought and Contemporary issues
Toyeebee Mohammed
