Afghan Conflict
The Soviet war in Afghanistan lasted over nine years from December 1979 to February 1989. Part of the Cold War, it was fought between Soviet-led Afghan forces against multi-national insurgent groups called theMujahideen, mostly composed of two alliances – the Peshawar Seven and the Tehran Eight. The Peshawar Seven insurgents received military training in neighboring Pakistan and China, as well as weapons and billions of dollars from the United States, United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, and other countries.The Shia groups of the Tehran Eight alliance received support from the Islamic Republic of Iran. Early in the rule of the PDPA government, the Maoist Afghanistan Liberation Organization also played a significant role in opposition, but its major force was defeated by late 1979, prior to the Soviet intervention. The decade-long war resulted in the death of 850,000–1.5 million civilians as well as causing millions of Afghans to flee the country, mostly to Pakistan and Iran.
( Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_war_in_Afghanistan )
( Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_war_in_Afghanistan )
( Source: http://graphics.boston.com/news/packages/underattack/images/afghanistan_timeline.gif )