[JimWayne]

Uh,....you do realize the only reason they beat the Soviets was because we gave them Stinger missiles, right?

Most of the deaths of the Soviets happened not due to Stinger missiles but due to regular gunfire, RPGs and IEDs. The numbers went up and the Soviets withdrew.

[Chode]

true but, i think those numbers going up were in correlation with the number of Hind's coming down...

[rbg81]

Most of the deaths of the Soviets happened not due to Stinger missiles but due to regular gunfire, RPGs and IEDs. The numbers went up and the Soviets withdrew.

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Could that be due to a lack of air cover after 1987? I remember reading that the Soviets had pretty much total control of the country by late 1986. The insurgents (there were no Taliban then) were basically restricted to the mountain tops. Then came the Stingers, which neutralized Soviet airpower and helped turn the tide.

Also, I’m sure the Soviets weren’t a big believer in “hearts and minds” counter-insurgency. In other words, they didn’t hold back.