This debate is prompted by VV's post #57 in the "Captured US Soldier Video Released" thread.
Namely, where he makes the statement that the "US isn't better in any way than Soviet Union in Afghanistan. Same , different time."
This is patently false, and I shall lay out why below.
To compare the the actions of both the US and the USSR, a good place to start is by simply looking at the number of casualties.
The Soviet invasion and occupation of Afghanistan lasted roughly 8 years. Over the course of this occupation, it is estimated that "Over 1 million Afghans were killed. 5 million Afghans fled to Pakistan and Iran, 1/3 of the prewar population of the country. Another 2 million Afghans were displaced within the country. In the 1980s, one out of two refugees in the world was an Afghan.
Along with fatalities were 1.2 million Afghans disabled (mujahideen, government soldiers and noncombatants) and 3 million maimed or wounded (primarily noncombatants)."
Sources:Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
The US led coalition invasion and occupation of Afghanistan has lasted almost 8 years now, making it quite fitting for a comparison. However, while the time span of operations is of nearly equal length, the casualty rate is microscopic in comparison to the Soviet invasion.
Estimates for civilian casualties range from "11,760 - 31,357+", This includes both direct & indirect deaths. While high, the numbers are nowhere near to that of the Soviet occupation.
Another way to judge the actions of the two is what damage they have done to the country's agriculture and infrastructure.
"Irrigation systems, crucial to agriculture in Afghanistan's arid climate, were destroyed by aerial bombing and strafing by Soviet or government forces. In the worst year of the war, 1985, well over half of all the farmers who remained in Afghanistan had their fields bombed, and over one quarter had their irrigation systems destroyed and their livestock shot by Soviet or government troops(That is over the course of one year!), according to a survey conducted by Swedish relief experts [67]
The population of Afghanistan's second largest city, Kandahar, was reduced from 200,000 before the war to no more than 25,000 inhabitants, following a months-long campaign of carpet bombing and bulldozing by the Soviets and Afghan communist soldiers in 1987.[69] Land mines had killed 25,000 Afghans during the war and another 10-15 million land mines, most planted by Soviet and government forces, were left scattered throughout the countryside to kill and maim.[70]
A great deal of damage was done to the civilian children population by land mines. A 2005 report estimated 3-4% of the Afghan population were disabled due to Soviet and government land mines. In the city of Quetta, a survey of refugee women and children taken shortly after the Soviet withdrawal found over 80% of the children refugees unregistered and child mortality at 31%. Of children who survived, 67% were severely malnourished, with malnutrition increasing with age."[71]
Sources:Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
The Soviets and their allies engaged in a systematic program of destruction of Afghanistan's agriculture. This was devastating not only to the farmer's welfare, but to the rest of the country who relied on their output. Namely, children disproportionally suffered. Furthermore, the use of landmines was devastating. Nearly 1 in 20 could no longer walk due to them. The worst part about landmines is that they tend to target and harm civilian populations the most, because they linger even after the war.
The US led coalition has made no attempt to starve the Afghan population, nor have they used landmines. Their is simply no comparison here.
While it can be said that the US led invasion and subsequent occupation of Afghanistan has created a power vacuum which allowed for abuses and atrocities, the Soviet government actively partook in them.
Although this post was rushed, I believe my point was made. I await your reply.
Good Luck