War in Afghanistan was a proxy for the cold war where primarily US and UK (but also China, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia) backed the mujahideen (including Taliban) to keep USSR spending a vast amount of money in the region while also cutting their income.
They succeeded in their intent and the fall of the USSR was so sudden that hundreds of soviet tanks were abandoned on the field
http://www.artificialowl.net/2008/08/ussr-red-army-tanks-gra...
A few years after the end of the war US left the region, refused to help with the reconstruction and handled control to Pakistan that in exchange for routes and security made pacts with local warlords and the Taliban.
With the consequences we know.
I wish I could understand what the Russian Walter White is singing in that YouTube video!
