DAVID EDGERLEY GATES writes thrillers, spy stories and
‘noir’ westerns. He tells me a favourite of his own works is THE BONE HARVEST, second in a
series of ‘Cold War’ books. He says: ‘I knew
going in that THE BONE HARVEST would
be about the nuts and bolts - the gear, the manpower, the physical resources –
what it takes to mount an actual spy operation.’
During the Soviet invasion of
Afghanistan American military intelligence op Dix Apodaca tangles with a KGB
colonel; also the Afghan resistance, Pakistani security services, drug and gun
runners and rivals in the intelligence community, in a shifting landscape of
betrayal.
The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan is not within my
area of expertise so I’ve leaned on Wikipedia for the following:
The Soviet–Afghan
War lasted from December 1979 to
February 1989.
The Afghan
government, having secured a treaty in December 1978 that allowed them to call
on Soviet forces, repeatedly requested the introduction of troops into Afghanistan
in 1979. They wanted them to provide security and to assist in the
fight against the mujaheddin rebels. With a deteriorating security situation, large numbers of Soviet troops began to land in Afghanistan's capital, Kabul, on December 25th, 1979.
Soviet troops in
Afghanistan
Insurgent groups known collectively as the
mujahideen, as well as smaller Maoist groups, fought a guerrilla war against
the Soviet Army and the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan government,
mostly in the rural countryside. The mujahideen groups were backed primarily by
the United States, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan, making it a Cold War proxy war.
Mujahideen fighters Afghanistan 1985
Many nations since the time of ALEXANDER THE GREAT
have intervened in Afghanistan but have been repeatedly defeated by the
tenacity of the defenders and the difficulties of the terrain. The same fate
befell the Soviet Union.
A statue of Alexander the Great
The Soviet Army of 1980 was trained and equipped
for large scale, conventional warfare in Central Europe against a similar
opponent, i.e. it used armoured and motor-rifle formations. This was notably
ineffective against small scale guerrilla groups using hit-and-run tactics in
the rough terrain of Afghanistan.
The Russians used
large-scale offensives against Mujahideen strongholds, such as in the Panjshir
Valley, which temporarily cleared those sectors but killed many civilians in
addition to enemy combatants. Once the Russians did engage the enemy in force,
they failed to hold the ground by withdrawing once their operation was
completed. The killing of civilians further alienated the population from the
Soviets.
Civilian casualties in the conflict were appalling. Between 562,000 and 2 million civilians were killed and millions of Afghans fled the country as refugees.
Civilian casualties in the conflict were appalling. Between 562,000 and 2 million civilians were killed and millions of Afghans fled the country as refugees.
The promotion of
MIKHAIL GORBACHEV to General Secretary of the Soviet Union in 1985 and his 'new
thinking' on foreign and domestic policy was likely an important factor in the
Soviets' decision to withdraw.
Mikhail Gorbachev
The first step of
the Soviet Union's exit strategy, beginning in 1985, was to transfer the burden
of fighting the mujahideen to the Afghan armed forces, with the aim of
preparing them to operate without Soviet help. Soviet forces continued withdrawing until the final
troop withdrawal on February 15, 1989. This left the government forces
alone in the battle against the insurgents, which continued until 1992
when the former Soviet-backed government collapsed.
Officially the Soviet forces lost 14,453 killed whilst Mujahideen losses included 57,000
killed.
The Soviets' failure in the war (which is
sometimes described as the Soviet Union’s Vietnam War) is thought to be a
contributing factor to the fall of the Soviet Union.
Movies that feature this conflict include:
‘RAMBO 3’ (1988) with SYLVESTER STALLONE. It originally
ended with the statement: ‘This film is dedicated to the brave Mujahideen
fighters of Afghanistan.’
‘THE BEAST’ (1988) about the crew of a Soviet T-55 tank
during this conflict (below.)
The 1987 JAMES BOND movie ‘THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS’ with TIMOTHY
DALTON as Bond (below.)
5 Star REVIEW of THE BONE HARVEST: ‘Very enjoyable. Can’t wait for his next book.'
