PDPA

The People Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA), was established in 1965 and was essentially the communist party, as it was heavily supported by the Russians (Soviet Union).  It came into power in 1978.  The PDPA quickly pushed for massive social reforms.   A decree was issued. The government promoted state atheism.  Men were obliged to cut off their beards, women were not allowed to wear the burqa any longer, and most of the mosques were placed off limits at the start of the regime. Compulsory education became mandatory for girls. Dowries (bride price) were abolished.  The minimum legal age for marriage for girls was set at 16.

Alongside the rapid modernization and reform agendas, the communist ideology was also forced on the people, many times through brutal violence. There was very little tolerance for tribal and religious customs. In rural areas, the PDPA was seen as disregarding sensitive tribal values and traditions, and thus caused resentment and backlash. The PDPA responded with brutal violence - killing many innocent people.

After the Soviet Union had leveled most of the villages south and east of Kabul, creating a massive humanitarian disaster, the demise of the PDPA continued with the rise of the Mujahideen guerrillas, who were trained in Pakistani camps with US support. Between 1982 and 1992, the number of people recruited by Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency (essentially the Pakistani CIA) to join the insurgency topped 100,000.  The Soviet Union withdrew in 1989, but continued to provide military assistance worth billions of dollars to the PDPA regime until the USSR's collapse in 1991.