Operation Cyclone

E90555

Operation Cyclone was a covert CIA program during the Cold War that funneled money, weapons, and training to Afghan mujahideen fighters resisting the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan.


Statements (45)
Predicate Object
instanceOf CIA program
Cold War operation
covert operation
conflict Soviet–Afghan War
coordinatedWith Inter-Services Intelligence
Pakistan
country United States
endTime 1989
financedBy Saudi Arabia
United States government
financingModel matching funds with Saudi Arabia
funded Afghan mujahideen
geopoliticalContext U.S. containment policy toward the Soviet Union
legacy contributed to militarization of Islamist groups in the region
controversial due to unintended consequences
location Afghanistan
notableFigure William Casey
Zbigniew Brzezinski
notableWeapon FIM-92 Stinger missile
objective undermine Soviet influence in Afghanistan
operator Central Intelligence Agency
oversightBy U.S. Congress NERFINISHED
partOf Cold War
peakAnnualFunding hundreds of millions of U.S. dollars
provided money
training
weapons
purpose support Afghan mujahideen against Soviet forces
result increased flow of arms into Afghanistan
long-term regional instability
strengthening of Afghan resistance
startTime 1979
status classified at the time
strategy proxy warfare
supportedGroup Hezb-e Islami Gulbuddin
Jamiat-e Islami
other Afghan resistance factions
timePeriod 1980s
late 1970s
typeOfSupport covert military aid
intelligence support
logistical support
weaponSupplied anti-aircraft weapons
anti-tank weapons
small arms

Referenced by (2)

Please wait…