The next Afghanistan? [Reader Post]
In 1979 Afghanistan was in the middle of a civil war when it was invaded by the Soviet Union. The Russians found a most formidable adversary in the Mujahideen. Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan referred to the Mujahideen as “freedom fighters” and both Presidents covertly supplied the Mujahideen with arms and aid in effort to help them defeat the Red Menace. The Russians were unable to conquer the Afghans and finally withdrew in 1989. Most of us applauded the defeat of the Russians. During the war, the best of the Afghan fighters- the Taliban- gained control of the country and instituted strict Islam in the wake of the war. One of the Mujahideen-Taliban was named Osama Bin Laden. Bin Laden got around to thanking the US for its efforts in liberating Afghanistan in September of 2001.