The Soviet Afghan War was fought from 1979 to 1989. Soviet forces along with their Afghan counterparts fought against various groups of insurgents known as the Mujahideen.
The war cost around 1 million civilians their lives, and many Afghans were forced to flee the country.
The US, UK, Saudi Arabia, and China supported the Sunni mujahideen group known as the Peshawar Seven, while the Iranians supported a fellow Shia insurgency known as the Tehran Eight.
Read more about the Soviet Afghan War at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_war_in_Afghanistan