ABSTRACT
On February 15, 1989, the Soviet Union completed the withdrawal of its troops from Afghanistan. The majority of Western observers had predicted a rapid victory by the mujaheddins and the fall of the Najibullah regime, while the Kabul administration and the USSR repeatedly declared that the Afghan regime was sufficiently strong to maintain its position. However, there is no peace in Afghanistan as no settlement acceptable to Najibullah had been attained. The performance of the government army against the armed opposition was watched with interest and speculation arose about whether it would remain true to the regime. The only mandate the government received was a mandate to hold elections in Afghanistan during an eight month period. After Shevardnadze and Baker met in Berlin in July 1990, American officials stated that the two sides were close to reaching an agreement on a number of principles for a transition period and a peaceful settlement in Afghanistan.
