The Secret War in Afghanistan

The Soviet Union, China and Anglo-American Intelligence in the Afghan War

The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, in support of a Marxist-Leninist government, and the subsequent nine year conflict with the indigenous Afghan Mujahedeen was one of the bloodiest conflicts of the Cold War. Key details of the circumstances surrounding the invasion and its ultimate conclusion only months before the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989 have long remained unclear, a confidential narrative of clandestine correspondence, covert operations and failed intelligence. In the light of recently declassified intelligence archives, these details have come to light. The Secret War in Afghanistan undertakes a full analysis of these documents in order to assess Anglo-American secret intelligence and diplomacy on the invasion of Afghanistan and unveil the Cold War aims behind the rhetoric. Rooted at every turn in close examination of the primary evidence, it outlines the secret operations of the CIA, MI6 and the KGB, and the full extent of the aid and intelligence from the West which armed and trained the Afghan fighters.

Drawing from US, UK and Russian archives, Panagiotis Dimitrakis analyses the Chinese arms deals with the CIA, the multiple recorded intelligence failures of KGB intelligence and secret letters from the office of Margaret Thatcher to Jimmy Carter. Charting the reactions of the international community which culminated in Gorbachev's unexpected withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan. In so doing, this study brings a new scholarly perspective to some of the most controversial events of Cold War history. Dimitrakis also outlines the full extent of China's involvement in arming the Mujahedeen, effectively fighting the Soviet Union by proxy. This will be essential reading for scholars and students of the Cold War, American History and the Modern Middle East.