Every year Russians celebrate this date - February 15 , the day of the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan. In 1989, the government of the Soviet Union finally withdrawn a limited contingent of troops from the territory of this state. This terrible war, about which they were silent at first, brought grief and pain to many families.
Almost a decade
The Afghan war for the Soviet people lasted ten years. For our military, it began in 1979, December 25, when the first soldiers were abandoned in Afghanistan. At that time, newspapers did not write about this, and soldiers serving in Afghanistan were forbidden to tell their families where they were and what they were doing. And only in 1989, on February 15, the territory of this eastern country was finally abandoned by Soviet troops. It was a real holiday for our country.
In a terrible and bloody war, a bullet was put. And in the Soviet Union, and later in the Russian Federation and the states - former republics of the Country of Soviets, they began to celebrate on February 15. The day of the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan is not only an occasion to pay tribute to those who died in that terrible war. It is also a sign that it is necessary to take care of those who went through a meaningless and useless war that lasted almost 3 thousand 340 days. Longer than the Great Patriotic War.
Fateful April
The progressive world community has long called on the Soviet Union to withdraw its military from Afghanistan. More loudly, such demands began to be heard within the country itself. The negotiations lasted long and hard. In April 1988, some clarity was achieved. On this day in Switzerland, with the direct participation of United Nations representatives, the Foreign Ministers of Pakistan and Afghanistan signed the so-called Geneva Accords. They talked about how to finally resolve the unstable situation in Afghanistan.
Under these agreements, the Soviet Union was ordered to withdraw a limited contingent of its troops within 9 months. It was truly a fateful decision.
The withdrawal of troops began in May 1988. And the final date for the end of the Afghan war came in 1989. February 15 is the day of the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan, the day when the last Soviet soldier left the territory of this country forever. This is a significant date in the history of our state.
For its part, the United States of America and Pakistan, according to the Geneva agreements, had to stop providing any support to the Mujahideen. True, this condition was violated all the time.
The role of Gorbachev
If earlier the Soviet government made the main emphasis on the forceful solution to the Afghan problem, then after Mikhail Gorbachev came to power in the USSR, the tactics were radically changed. The political vector has changed. Now, national reconciliation policies have become paramount.
The only way to get out of the protracted conflict. Agree, persuade, do not shoot!
Najibullah Initiatives
At the end of 1987, Mohammad Najibullah became the leader of Afghanistan.
He developed a very progressive cessation of hostilities program. He suggested moving to a dialogue and stop firing, to release fighters and those who were against the regime from prisons. He invited all parties to seek a compromise. But the opposition did not make such concessions; the Mujahideen wanted to fight to the bitter end. Although ordinary soldiers strongly supported the option of a truce. They dropped their weapons and happily returned to peaceful work.
It is worth noting that the initiatives of Najibullah did not please the United States and other Western countries at all. They were aimed at continuing the fighting. As Colonel-General Boris Gromov tells in his memoirs, from July to December 1988, his units intercepted 417 caravans with weapons. They were sent to the Mujahideen from Pakistan and Iran.
Nevertheless, common sense triumphed, and the decision that the Soviet troops should withdraw from Afghanistan to their homeland became final and irrevocable.
Our losses
Since then, February 15th annually - Memorial Day for soldiers who died in the Afghan war, is celebrated at the state level in all the republics of the former Soviet Union, whose citizens died in Afghanistan. And the losses in this senseless battle were considerable. Cargo-200 has become familiar to many cities of the Soviet Union. More than 15 thousand of our children in the prime of life died in Afghanistan. At the same time, the Soviet Army suffered the greatest losses . Killed at the fronts and went missing 14,427 people. 576 people who served on the State Security Committee and 28 employees of the Ministry of the Interior are also considered dead. February 15 is the Day of Remembrance of these guys, of those who met their last hour on a distant Afghan land, who did not manage to say goodbye to their mothers and loved ones.
Many troops returned from that war with poor health. According to official statistics, more than 53 thousand people received injuries, shell shocks and various injuries. Every year they celebrate February 15th. International warrior's day is an opportunity to meet with your fellow soldiers, with those who shared a soldier's ration and hid from heavy fire in the gorges, with whom they went into reconnaissance and fought against the "spirits".
Hundreds of thousands of missing Afghans
Huge losses during this war were suffered by the inhabitants of Afghanistan. There are still no official statistics on this subject. But, as the Afghans themselves say, during the hostilities hundreds of thousands of their compatriots died from bullets and shells, many went missing. But the worst thing is that huge losses among the civilian population happened precisely after our troops left. Today in this country there are about 800 thousand disabled people who were injured during the Afghan war.
Difficulty of care
February 15, Day of the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan, in Russia and other former Union republics is celebrated as a public holiday. Still, for mothers and fathers there was nothing better than knowing that their son would not be sent to serve in Afghanistan. Nevertheless, in 1989, when the troops were withdrawn, the military leadership experienced great difficulties. On the one hand, the Mujahideen resisted in every way. Knowing that February 15 (the day of the withdrawal of Soviet troops) is the final date, they intensified military operations. They wanted to show the whole world how Soviet soldiers were fleeing, how they were throwing their wounded and killed. They shot indiscriminately to prove their superiority.
On the other hand, the Kabul leadership was well aware that without the help of the Soviet army the country would have to be very tight, and it also prevented the withdrawal of troops by certain actions.
Ambiguous to the idea of withdrawing troops were some public figures in the Soviet Union itself. They believed that after so many years of war it was impossible to surrender and leave without victory. This equated to defeat. But only those who could never hide from bullets and lose their comrades could reason like that. As Boris Gromov, the commander of the 40th Army in Afghanistan, recalls, no one needed this war. She has given our country absolutely nothing but colossal casualties and great grief.
This date - February 15, Afghanistan Day, has become truly tragic for our country. But at the same time, on this February day, the final point was set in this senseless ten-year war.
Holiday with tears
February 15, Afghans Day - solemn and sad, it always goes with tears in his eyes and with pain in his heart. The mothers of those who did not return from the Afghan war are still alive. Men who were boys in those years and did not understand at all why they were fighting stood in full dress. Many remained those who returned from that war, not only with crippled souls, but also with upturned fates.
Our people sacredly honor the feat of those who carried out the state order, risking their lives and health. This war is our pain and our tragedy.
Every year, February 15 is a day of remembrance of those who paid their military duty without betraying the oath.