The entry of Soviet troops into Afghanistan for three decades has caused conflicting emotions among many scientists, military and politicians. On the one hand, the operation itself, the key point of which was the assault on Amin’s palace in Kabul, is still a model for the operations of special forces in such situations. On the other hand, one cannot consider the entry of Soviet troops into Afghanistan in isolation from the subsequent escalation of international tension, and also from the fact that this event ultimately became one of the reasons for the collapse of the USSR.
Meanwhile, in order to understand the deep meaning of the events of more than thirty years ago, it is necessary to take into account the situation in this Central Asian country in 1979.
It all began in April 1978, when the PDPA, led by the famous writer N. Taraki, came to power in Kabul as a result of a military coup. At that time, such a development of events was considered a great miscalculation of the United States, since Taraki and his comrades-in-arms saw the Soviet Union as their main ally, where then a fairly decrepit government headed by L. Brezhnev was in power.
The leadership of the USSR and the CPSU sought to strongly support the young government of the Afghan republic. Throughout 1978, significant sums of money were sent here, military and economic advisers were traveling, who became the main organizers of land and educational reforms.
At the same time, discontent was growing inside Afghanistan both among the common population and among the ruling elite. In early 1979, this resistance resulted in an open rebellion, which, as it turned out in our days, stood for the United States. Even then, Taraki demanded from Brezhnev to authorize the entry of Soviet troops into Afghanistan, however, he was firmly refused.
The situation changed dramatically in September 1979, when one of Taraki’s associates made a coup and took power instead of the former president strangled in prison. The coming to power of Amin dramatically changed both the situation inside Afghanistan and his position in the international arena. At the same time, judging by the recently published memoirs of the famous American public figure Z. Brzezinski, the United States played the most direct role in this coup, having for its sole purpose to immerse the USSR in "its Vietnam war."
Thus, the main reasons for the entry of Soviet troops into Afghanistan were the extremely important strategic position of this country, as well as the fact that after the coup of Amin, the Soviet government was forced to intervene in the internal affairs of this state in order not to receive a source of tension on its border.
The entry of Soviet troops into Afghanistan was authorized by a decision of the highest party body - the Politburo of the CPSU Central Committee. At the same time, the decision indicated that in their actions the leadership of the USSR relied on a friendship treaty that was signed between the countries back in 1978.
On the eve of the new, 1980 year, as a result of the assault on the presidential palace, Amin was killed and the protege of the USSR B. Karmal became president of the republic . For some time, the entry of Soviet troops into Afghanistan contributed to the normalization of the country's internal life, however, subsequently, Soviet troops were embroiled in heavy armed clashes with the Mujahideen, which resulted in more than 15 thousand dead from the Soviet side.