No Operation Storm-333: Hafizullah Amin lives another day

While reading wikipedias rather wacky tread on the Soviet war in Afganistan, it struck me that the Soviets could have come invited if they wanted. So what if they come in on a formal request by the legal Afgan goverment instead of doing a suprise attack.

I'm not suggesting that Hafizullah Amin would do much change, he could be pressured to resign 6 month later if that's what the Soviets wanted. But I suspect that the suprise attack sent larger shock waves then a less heavyhanded operation would.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_war_in_Afghanistan
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Storm-333
 
A civil war was raging and the communist central goverment where asking for Soviet help, more Soviet help because they had units in place already. According to Wikipedia, they begged a lot even.

So the alternative to OTL invasion and doing nothing is a slower deployment.
 
A civil war was raging and the communist central goverment where asking for Soviet help, more Soviet help because they had units in place already. According to Wikipedia, they begged a lot even.

So the alternative to OTL invasion and doing nothing is a slower deployment.

which in the end changes nothing. Reagan would still fund mujahedeen, Soviets would still be seen as occupiers, US would be still nervous about percieved Soviet push to the sea
 
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