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The Soviet-Afghan War raged for nine years and is considered a major part of the overarching Cold War between the US and its allies, and the Soviet Union. A major faction was the Afghan Mujahideen - the Islamist resistance groups that fought against the Soviets and the Republic of Afghanistan - backed by the US, UK, China, Iran and the Arab states of the Persian Gulf, all of whom had waged war against the communist Afghanistan government after it had seized power in 1978 on the back of a coup. The Soviet-Afghan War led to the deaths of around three million Afghans, while refugees fled to Pakistan and Iran. As much as 11.5% of Afghanistan’s population was killed during the conflict, sometimes referred to as “The Soviet Union’s Vietnam.” In this episode, we will explore the Battle for Hill 3234, which took place just over one year before the end of the Soviet-Afghan war, in January of 1988. It saw members of the Soviet Union, supported by the Republic of Afghanistan, attacked by over 200 Mujahideen rebels and Pakistani mercenaries. The resulting conflict would see over 200 Mujahideen dead in a single day. Welcome to Wars of the World...

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