Modern wars · 1979 to 1989

Soviet War in Afghanistan

Ten years of war, with the mujahideen backed by the US, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. Millions of refugees came to Pakistan. The Soviet Union itself broke up in 1991.

The site of the battle on the 2026 map. Shaded: Countries hit by major wars since 1979, Gaza and the West Bank.

Key facts

When: 1979 to 1989
Where: Afghanistan
Sides: Soviet Union vs Afghan mujahideen
Result: Soviet withdrawal, 1989
Type: Modern wars
Chapter: 7. The Modern Muslim World

The wider picture: Nation states and modern wars

Most Muslim lands won independence between the 1920s and the 1960s. Since then the region has seen more war than almost anywhere else: Israel's wars with its neighbours, two Afghan wars, the Iran Iraq war, American wars in Iraq, civil wars in Syria and Yemen, and in 2026 a war on Iran.

See the 2026 map Read chapter 7

More modern wars battles

All 18 modern wars in the muslim world battles · Battle explorer

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