Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, invasion of in late December 1979 by troops from the . The Soviet Union intervened in support of the Afghan communist government in its conflict with anti-communist Muslim guerrillas during the (1978–92) and remained in Afghanistan until mid-February 1989.In April 1978 Afghanistan’s centrist government, headed by Pres. , was overthrown by left-wing military officers led by . Power was thereafter shared by two Marxist-Leninist political groups, the People’s (Khalq) Party and the Banner (Parcham) Party—which had earlier emerged from a single organization, the of Afghanistan—and had reunited in an uneasy coalition shortly before the coup. The new government, which had little popular support, forged close ties with the Soviet Union, launched ruthless purges of all domestic opposition, and began extensive land and social reforms that were bitterly resented by the devoutly Muslim and largely anti-communist population. Insurgencies arose against the government among both tribal and urban groups, and all of these—known collectively as the (Arabic mujāhidūn, “those who engage in jihad”)—were Islamic in orientation.Soviet invasion of Afghanistan; Afghan WarAfghan resistance fighters returning to a village destroyed by Soviet forces, 1986.(more)These uprisings, along with internal fighting and coups within the government between the People’s and Banner factions, prompted the Soviets to invade the country on the night of December 24, 1979, sending in some 30,000 troops and toppling the short-lived presidency of People’s leader . The aim of the Soviet operation was to prop up their new but faltering client state, now headed by Banner leader , but Karmal was unable to attain significant popular support. Backed by the , the rebellion grew, spreading to all parts of the country. The Soviets initially left the suppression of the rebellion to the Afghan army, but the latter was beset by mass desertions and remained largely ineffective throughout the war., On Christmas Eve 1979, the Soviet Union began an invasion of Afghanistan, its Central Asian neighbor to the south. First, it air-dropped elite troops into principal Afghan cities. Soon after, it, The Soviet–Afghan War took place in the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan from December 1979 to February 1989. Marking the beginning of the 46-year-long Afghan conflict, it saw the Soviet Union and the Afghan military fight against the rebelling Afghan mujahideen, aided by Pakistan..