Afghanistan: The Great Game

SINOPSIS

Part two of two. Rory Stewart explores the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979, examining its similarities with the current American-led intervention and dramatic consequences, including the rise of the Taliban. He explains that the USSR was reluctant to wage war but felt sucked into the conflict, and how it had troops stationed there for eight years despite the belief they would be present for just a matter of months. Soldiers and generals from both sides tell their stories, and Rory meets the CIA spies who covertly funded Afghan forces.