In 1978, a Communist government known as the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan

came to power and the Soviet Union supported the new government, but it faced opposition
from various Afghan groups, including Islamist groups. In December 1979, the Soviet Union
invaded Afghanistan to support the Communist government and maintain their influence in
the region. It sparked a resistance movement, with various Afghan groups joining forces to
fight against the Soviet occupation. The resistance groups became known as the Mujahideen
and received support from countries such as Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and the United States,
who provided them with weapons and training.
The Soviet Union was unable to defeat the Mujahideen, who used guerrilla tactics and were
highly motivated to fight against the foreign invaders. The war lasted for nearly a decade,
with the Soviet Union withdrawing its forces in 1989 due to high number casualties and
political pressure.

The United States saw the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan as a threat to its strategic interests
in the Middle East and Central Asia and decided to support the Afghan resistance.
The CIA worked with the ISI to provide military training, weapons, and funding to the
Mujahideen, including groups like the Taliban and Al-Qaeda. The US support for the
Mujahideen was also part of its Cold War strategy to undermine the Soviet Union and contain
its influence. The US continued to support the Mujahideen even after the Soviet withdrawal
from Afghanistan in 1989, but largely withdrew from the region after the end of the Cold
War.

Pakistan, under the leadership of General Zia-ul-Haq, played a crucial role in supporting the
Afghan resistance groups, or Mujahideen, during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979.
ISI worked closely with the United States and other countries to provide training, arms, and
funding to the Mujahideen.
Pakistan also provided safe bases for the Mujahideen fighters to launch attacks against the
Soviet forces in Afghanistan. Pakistan’s support for the Mujahideen was partly driven by its
desire to prevent the spread of Soviet influence in the region and to establish a friendly
government in Afghanistan that would be sympathetic to Pakistan's interests.

The US provided over $3 billion in aid to Pakistan between 1979 and 1989, making it one of
the largest recipients of US aid during that period.
Much of this aid was in the form of military equipment, such as military weapons, which
Pakistan used to support the Afghan resistance groups, or Mujahideen.
The US also provided training and assistance to the Pakistani military, including its
intelligence agency, the (ISI), which played a key role in supporting the Mujahedeen addition
to military aid, the US also provided economic assistance to Pakistan, including debt relief
and loans to support its struggling economy.
The US aid to Pakistan was partly motivated by its desire to undermine the Soviet Union's
influence in the region and to support a key ally in the fight against communism.
However, some of the US aid to Pakistan also ended up supporting Islamist militant groups,
such as the Taliban and Al-Qaeda, which would later pose a threat to US national security
interests

After nearly a decade of fighting, the Soviet Union withdrew from Afghanistan in 1989,
leaving behind a power vacuum that would lead to further conflict in the following years.
The war had a significant impact on Afghanistan, leading to the destruction of much of the
country's infrastructure and creating a legacy of violence and instability that continues to this
day. The war also had broader geopolitical implications, as it contributed to the decline of the
Soviet Union and helped to shape the global security landscape in the post-Cold War era. The
Afghan War of 1979-1989 serves as a reminder of the high costs and complexities of armed
conflict and highlights the need for comprehensive and sustainable solutions to address the
root causes of conflict and instability in the region.

The measures taken to create the mujahideen force to fight soviets included madrassahs as a
means of ideological influence, so this exaggerated religious sentiments that continued to
impact society today in the form of militancy which has also been the largest contributing
factor to the religious extremism that existsssss.