The Limited Contingent of Soviet Troops entered Afghanistan in December 1979 following a request from the left-wing secular government fighting against radical militants. After the pullout in 1989, tensions between the different factions erupted once again, resulting in a surge of the Taliban movement and other radical groups, the US-led intervention in 2001, and full-scale civil war.
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Armoured Vehicles crossing a bridge in the Uzbek city of Termez near the Soviet-Afghan border.
© Sputnik / Alexander Liskin
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Soviet troops on the way home. 14 February 1989.
© Sputnik / Andrey Solomonov
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A column of Soviet vehicles crossing Salang Pass in the Hindu Kush mountains.
© Sputnik / Andrey Solomonov
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Welcome home ceremony in the Uzbek city of Termez for Soviet soldiers returning from Afghanistan.
© Sputnik / Alexander Liskin
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Afghan people watch the Limited Contingent of Soviet Troops heading back home.
© Sputnik / Andrey Solomonov
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Welcome home ceremony in the Uzbek city of Termez for Soviet soldiers returning from Afghanistan.
© Sputnik / Alexander Liskin
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Soviet soldier meets his family after withdrawal from Afghanistan. 29 March 1989.
© Sputnik / V.Kiselev
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People welcome Soviet soldiers after the troop withdrawal from Afganistan.
© Sputnik / Andrey Solomonov
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The first colum of Soviet troops crossing Salang Pass on the way home.
© Sputnik / Andrey Solomonov
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A Soviet military unit in the mountains of Afghanistan. 31 March 1980
© Sputnik / Vladimir Vyatkin
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Battery Commander Captain Vladimir Skiba in Afghanistan.
© Sputnik / V. Suhodolskiy
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The Limited Contingent of Soviet Troops in Afghanistan lands troops in the Hindu Kush mountains.
© Sputnik / V.Kiselev
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Photo of Soviet soldiers in Afghanistan. 3 September 1988
© Sputnik / Andrey Solomonov
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A Soviet light armoured unit near the fort of Bala Hisar in Kabul.
© Sputnik / Andrey Solomonov
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A Soviet light armoured unit near the fort of Bala Hisar in Kabul. 1st of February 1989
© Sputnik / Andrey Solomonov
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Oleg Medyankin, a soldier from the Limited Contingent of Soviet Troops in Afghanistan
© Sputnik / Yuriy Somov
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Soviet special forces after a mission in Afghanistan. 18 February 1988
© Sputnik / Andrey Solomonov
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The withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan. The vehicles on the side of the road had been destroyed by Mujahideen militants.
© Sputnik / Andrey Solomonov
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An awards and decoration ceremony in Afghanistan.
© Sputnik / Andrey Solomonov
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Soviet military outpost in the mountains of Afghanistan near the capital city of Kabul.
© Sputnik / Andrey Solomonov
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