Mujahedeen guerillas with an American-made missile launcher engaging Soviet gunships

In the late 1970s and pushing through to the late 1980s, the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan to prop up a Marxist-Leninist government that had been fighting a losing battle against guerillas in the countryside. Since this was during the Cold War, any side the Soviet Union took, the USA instinctively took the opposite side of.

However, both sides preferred to avoid anything that could risk a direct confrontation, on account of, you know, nuclear armageddon and all. So the USA took the side of the guerillas (’Mujahedeen’) covertly, sending money and weapons through our ‘ally’, Pakistan. In particular, large amounts of an expensive missile launcher, the Stinger, was sent to give Mujahedeen infantry a way to attack Soviet helicopters from the ground.

Much of the financial aid was lost to the Pakistani ISI (the Pakistani intelligence service, their CIA) pursuing their own goals, but the surface-to-air missiles specifically did make it to the Mujahedeen - probably in part because it would have been hard for the ISI to explain to the USA why such a distinctively American weapon only showed up in the hands of Pakistani proxies. Reports on its effect on the course of the war are mixed - some studies say it was materially invaluable, since the Mujahedeen had few other ways to take on heavily-armored Soviet helicopters; other studies suggest that it was primarily a morale booster. In either case, the aid was welcomed by the Mujahedeen.

The Soviets, after a failed ~10 year long occupation, pulled out of Afghanistan, the USA lost interest in Afghanistan after retrieving the few unused Stingers, and everything ended happily ever aft-

Oh? No? The Mujahedeen were embroiled in a civil war with the ISI-supported Taliban in the 1990s, after the USA lost interest? The same Taliban that harbored Bin Laden and we had to help the original Mujahedeen overthrow? The same Taliban that we spend 20 years fighting in a bloody occupation of our own? The same Taliban which took over Afghanistan, again, a few years ago, with our ‘ally’ Pakistan’s help? The same Taliban which is now fighting with Pakistan, since Pakistan didn’t understand the danger of the beast they were feeding?

Fuck’s sake.

… sorry. Recent events have me bitter.