CCTV

Headline News

World

Anniversary of Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan

WATCH VIDEO

Source: CCTV.com | 02-16-2009 14:21

Russian officials and war veterans on Sunday marked the 20th anniversary of the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan.

A commemorate ceremony was held at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Moscow, and veterans paid respects to their fallen brothers-in-arms.

Afghan war veterans toast with vodka as they remember those who were killed in the war during a commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the Soviet troops withdrawal in Kiev, February 15, 2009. The withdrawal of the last Soviet troops from Afghanistan on February 15, 1989 ended a decade of fighting that killed an estimated 15,000 Soviet troops and convinced a generation of soldiers they had been sent to fight a war they could not win.REUTERS/Konstantin Chernichkin (UKRAINE)
Afghan war veterans toast with vodka as they remember 
those who were killed in the war during a commemoration 
of the 20th anniversary of the Soviet troops withdrawal 
in Kiev, February 15, 2009.
REUTERS/Konstantin Chernichkin (UKRAINE)

The Soviet Union lost some 15-thousand soldiers in the 10 year war which began in 1979. Afghanistan served as the battle ground between the big powers in the Cold War era.

Click for more news in News Hour>>

 

Editor:Zhang Yun