Georgy Nadezhdin / TASS archive.
AFP: 40 years on, veterans still grapple with Soviet-Afghan war
At his home in the mountains north of Kabul, former mujahideen fighter Shah Sulaiman closed his damaged eyes, took a sip of green tea and thought bitterly of Afghanistan's war against the Soviet Union that started four decades ago.
"When we fought against the Soviets, we were expecting a good future," said the 62-year-old father, who was blinded in one eye and suffered a leg wound when he trod on a landmine during the conflict in 1985.
"Unfortunately things turned out for the worst."
This month marks the 40th anniversary of the Soviet Union's "intervention" -- or invasion -- of Afghanistan, the beginning of a decade-long guerilla war that killed up to two million Afghans, forced seven million more from their homes and led to the deaths of more than 14,000 Soviet troops.
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WNU Editor: They have the same issues that U.S. veterans from the Vietnam war must deal with. I have two cousins who served in Afghanistan. They only talk about the war when they are drunk. One of my uncles served as a senior officer in that conflict, and he was stationed in that country for a few years. He understood why the US had to invade Afghanistan in 2001 .... but he never understood why they decided to stay. To him it was a monumental mistake, that would cost untold lives and treasure. Unfortunately, with hindsight, he was right.
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