2/2/1983 President Reagan meeting with Afghan Freedom Fighters in the Oval Office to discuss Soviet atrocities in Afghanistan
Author: Luke Dunton
Interviewer: Thomas Weber
Afghanistan, an arid and mountainous nation of central Asia, has earned a reputation as the “Graveyard of Empires” since ancient times. Â When political tension in Afghanistan reached its boiling point, the Soviet Union invaded to subdue the unrest and reinstate their favoured communist government. Â The United States, in line with its containment policy, supported Afghan resistance fighters and kept the Soviets entrapped in a hopeless, unpopular war. Â It was this war that contributed to the eventual downfall of the Soviet empire in 1991.