Saturday marks the 31st anniversary of the last Soviet soldier leaving Afghanistan. Some of the same Afghan insurgent leaders who drove out the former Soviet Union have fought the U.S. for 18 years and are now negotiating for peace.
FILE - In this Feb. 7, 1989 file photo. a Soviet soldier waves as his armored convoy makes its way back to the Soviet Union along a north Afghanistan highway. Afghanistan is marking the 31st anniversary of the Soviet Union's last soldier leaving the country, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2020. This year's anniversary comes as the United States negotiates its own exit after 18 years of war, America's longest.
Moscow pulled out of Afghanistan in 1989, a decade after invading the country to support an allied communist government. Afghan mujaheddin, or holy warriors, received weapons and training from the U.S. throughout the 1980s to fight the Red Army. Some of those mujaheddin went on to form the Taliban.. If successful, it could open the way for another historic withdrawal that would see all American troops leave the country.
Kabul’s streets were quiet Saturday, normally the busy start of the Afghan workweek. There were no official public celebrations marking the anniversary, and most people took the holiday off.
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