On May 16, 1988 the Soviet Union began to withdraw troops from Afghanistan after nine years of fighting there. The same day I entered the country on back of a truck in a convoy bringing in ammunition and supplies to the mujahendeen, the guerrillas opposed to the Soviet-supported government, fighting in the neighborhood of Kandahar, a large city in the southwest part of Afghanistan.
Despite the announced intentions of the Russians, I found no let up in the intensity of the fighting in the region. Indeed most of the fighting going on was between the mujahendeen and Afghan troops of the government. This fighting continued after the Soviet withdrawal as the regime of President Najibullah held up for another three years.