KABUL as the Soviet invaders.
On Feb. 15, 1989, the last Soviet soldier pulled out of Afghanistan, marking the end of a decade of heroic resistance by Afghans. The Soviets invaded Afghanistan on Dec. 24, 1979 through the Hairatan dry port and subsequently installed a puppet regime in Kabul.
The invaders started withdrawing from the country on May 15, 1988. Lt. Gen. Boris V. Gromov, the commander of Soviet forces in Afghanistan, left on Feb. 15, 1989.
“I was the last Soviet soldier who left Afghanistan. In the final movements, I felt a vacuum, because there was a dark future ahead and an unsuccessful past behind me,” Gromov said while leaving.
A public holiday, the day marked the success of the jihad that led to the disintegration of a superpower. Events were held in capital Kabul and other cities to celebrate the historic victory.
The former Soviet Union, responsible for killing and maiming many innocent people, had to encounter a stiff resistence from the Afghan nation, the Taliban said in a statement.
As a result of the great jihad, the Soviet Union collapsed, according to the statement, which said the resistence also paved the way for the independence of Central Asian states and ridding the world of communism.
The invasion by American and allied forces was a similar act, the militant movement said, adding their fate would not be different from the Soviets. The Americans were asked to leave the country forthwith and unconditionally.
pr/mud
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