▁of ▁rat ifying ▁S AL T ▁II . ▁ ▁Afghan istan ▁ ▁Afghan istan ▁had ▁been ▁non - aligned ▁during ▁the ▁early ▁stages ▁of ▁the ▁Cold ▁War , ▁but ▁a ▁ 1 9 7 3 ▁coup ▁had ▁brought ▁a ▁pro - West ern ▁government ▁into ▁power . ▁Five ▁years ▁later , ▁Commun ists ▁under ▁the ▁leadership ▁of ▁Nur ▁Muhammad ▁Tar aki ▁seized ▁power . ▁The ▁new ▁regime — which ▁was ▁divided ▁between ▁Tar aki ' s ▁extrem ist ▁K hal q ▁fa ction ▁and ▁the ▁more ▁moder ate ▁P arch am — signed ▁a ▁treat y ▁of ▁friendship ▁with ▁the ▁Soviet ▁Union ▁in ▁December ▁ 1 9 7 8 . ▁Tar aki ' s ▁efforts ▁to ▁improve ▁sec ular ▁education ▁and ▁red ist ribute ▁land ▁were ▁accompanied ▁by ▁mass ▁execution s ▁and ▁political ▁opp ression ▁un pre ced ented ▁in ▁Afghan ▁history , ▁ign iting ▁a ▁revol t ▁by ▁mu j ah ide en ▁reb els . ▁Following ▁a ▁general ▁u pr ising ▁in ▁April ▁ 1 9 7 9 , ▁Tar aki ▁was ▁de posed ▁by ▁K hal q ▁rival ▁H af iz ul lah ▁A min ▁in ▁September . ▁Soviet ▁leaders ▁fe ared ▁that ▁an ▁Islam ist ▁government ▁in ▁Afghan istan ▁would ▁threaten ▁the ▁control ▁of ▁Soviet ▁Central ▁Asia , ▁and , ▁as ▁the ▁un rest ▁continued , ▁they ▁deployed ▁ 3 0 , 0 0 0 ▁soldiers ▁to ▁the ▁Soviet – A fg han ▁border . ▁Carter ▁and ▁Br ze zin ski ▁both ▁saw ▁Afghan istan ▁as ▁a ▁potential ▁"