Ottawa, July 12 : The Canadian military has been studying the Soviet debacle in Afghanistan in the 1980s for clues on how to prevent similar mistakes as NATO tries to beat back a persistent insurgency.

According to the Globe and Mail, it began a research project in 2006, a year in which fighting intensified for Canada in the war against the Taliban.

The Soviets had invaded Afghanistan in 1979, and pulled their combat forces out in 1989 after a costly decade of fighting the mujahedeen. They left behind a weak, pro-Soviet-backed government that collapsed in 1992.

Many foreign forces have attempted to conquer Afghanistan and its predecessor states. Few have succeeded. (ANI)