Word: afghanistan
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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...Afghanistan, Reagan told his audience, "Now the Soviets say they have had enough...
Though Cordovez announced that all the parties to the negotiations -- directly, Afghanistan and Pakistan; indirectly, the U.S. and the Soviet Union -- were prepared to sign the accords within a week, the response from Washington was more cautious. Administration sources noted that the Soviets had yet to answer formally the U.S. demand for the right to arm the rebels at a level "symmetrical" to Soviet military assistance to Kabul. Since the superpowers' symmetry discussion has not been a part of the Geneva negotiations, it will probably be covered in a separate declaration. Speaking on U.S. television after a futile round...
...Soviet casualties -- an estimated 30,000 men killed in action over the past eight years -- and to growing antiwar sentiment in the Soviet Union. More important, Gorbachev hopes the move will help burnish Moscow's international image, which was tarred by Leonid Brezhnev's decision in 1979 to invade Afghanistan in the first place. Thus it was perhaps no coincidence that Gorbachev wanted to see the withdrawal begin before President Reagan arrives in Moscow for a summit meeting...
...agreement, however, will not necessarily bring peace to Afghanistan, which has seen more than a million people killed since 1979 and at least 3 million, a sixth of the population, flee to neighboring Pakistan and Iran. In fact, last week's Tashkent accord may be just the opening bell for the war's final round. The main question remains unanswered: Who will control the country, the mujahedin or the forces of the Najibullah government? Moscow apparently feels that Najibullah can survive with Soviet military and economic aid or at least hold heavily fortified Kabul and a broad corridor leading north...
Washington and Islamabad then realized Moscow was serious about leaving Afghanistan, and with that certain points already agreed upon turned into problems. For example, in 1985 the U.S. promised to cut off aid to the rebels once the Soviets began to leave Afghanistan, provided their withdrawal was rapid enough. But now some U.S. officials and legislators felt such a move would leave the resistance dangerously exposed. Islamabad balked because the Geneva proposals did not make provisions for the removal of the Najibullah regime, the most important demand of the mujahedin...