UPDATE: Today is April 28, and on this date in history, in 1978, Mohammed Daoud Khan, president of Afghanistan, was overthrown and assassinated by a pro-Communist coup.
President Khan had overthrown his brother-in-law, the king, five years previously, but for the first time in Afghan history, the new strongman did not declare himself as king but declared a republic. For the next few years, Khan was close to the USSR, but tried to break away. The KGB sponsored a coup, killed him and set up a puppet goverment.
This government of Soviet stooges had no support in the country. The revolt began, the Soviets poured in massive troops and you know the rest. For the next ten years Soviet troops roamed at will, slaughtering civilians, poisoning waterholes, and doing all kinds of atrocities. For all their technology, they couldn't win.
With Gorbachev coming to power and the collapse of the Soviet economy eminent, the USSR pulled out in 1979 after 1.5 million mostly civilians had been slaughtered.
Does this sound vaguely familiar to other failed policies? HMMMM!
ORIGINAL COMMENT: Afghanistan has not been lucky in history. In addition to all the battle deaths, more die. Check out the 1988 film, The Beast, for a view of the slaughter. Charlie Wilson's War is also good on the subject.
