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and sometimes Afghan Army dissenters. This environment of chaos further alienated the Soviets to the Afghan population.

The Soviet Union miscalculated the effect this would have on Afghanistan's neighbors and even in its own back yard. Iran, at this time, already in war with Iraq had to make room for fleeing large number of refugees and was unable to have an appropriate response. Pakistan, with very close tribal links to Afghanistan was now housing 1/3rd of Afghanistan's refugee population and made the most of a total revitalization of getting the Soviets out. In the long term Soviet Union's own republics of Uzbekistan and Tajikistan would face their own Islamic insurgencies, a hangover from this war in Afghanistan.

Had the Soviets not interfered but maintained a diplomatic presence through the Afghan civil administrations much of the atrocities that we have calculated to this day may have been avoided. Nearly two million Afghan's died during this time, a further ten million displaced, nationalists would not have integrated with Mujahideen and intellectuals/moderates would have a better influence in Afghan politics. A new generation of terrorists would not have risen; fundamental Islam would have fewer links. All in all what good did come out of this when we see no victory in neither military nor foreign policy for the Soviets. It is like the birth of a kind of venom that has eaten up Afghanistan since.

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