The Phenomena of Civil War in Afghanistan

Abstract

Since the withdrawal of the last Soviet troops from Afghanistan between May 15, 1988, and February 15, 1989, almost all of the political observers assumed that the pro-Soviet regime would collapse within a few months. This assumption did not become reality because of the absence of a united political and military organization that could lead the Afghan Mujahideen groups toward the establishment of a nationally accepted government. At the same time, the Afghan government under Najibullah was not able to provide a workable alternative for a peaceful settlement or gain more power to extend its control. The UN peace initiative on Afghanistan tried to foster the development of a positive environment for a peaceful transition of government, but this also failed. The internal interaction of Afghan armed political forces from the Afghan government and Afghan resistance factions left the UN peace plan without any power or ability to succeed. A bloody civil war shattered this already war-ruined country and forced the Afghans into larger fragmentation.