Afghanistan Had Long Held Strategic Importance . Fearful that Tsarist Russia's expansion into Central Asia would bring it perilously close to the border of India, their imperial jewel, Britain fought three wars in Afghanistan to maintain a buffer against Russian encroachment.
It's impact on Afghanistan and Pakistan: In the brutal nine- year conflict, an estimated one million civilians were killed as well as 90,000 Mujahideen fighters and 1,800 Afghan troops. The county was left in ruins. Several million Afghan had either fled to Pakistan for refuge or had become internal refugees.
