Much of the traditional commentary from the western world seems to focus on the conduct of the soviet forces, cold war and such. Jalali, ali ahmad, grau, lieutenant colonel lester w, rhodes, lieutenant general john e. Uk discussed plans to help mujahideen weeks after soviet. Sep 04, 20 there is no evidence that china trained mujaheddin during the afghan soviet war. Pakistan afghanistan soviet union soviet afghan war alexander rutskoy mujahideen the soviet s war in afghanistan. Did the mujahideen commit atrocities during the sovietafghan war.
A specially equipped c141 starlifter transport carrying william casey touched down at a military air base south of islamabad in october 1984 for a secret visit by the cia director to plan strategy for the war against soviet forces in afghanistan. It is sometimes said that the mujahideen were, in part, successful because they were more popular with the local population than the soviets, who were. Thus, a mujahid is someone who struggles or someone who fights. Grau and ali ahmad jalali, the campaign for the caves. Successful use of the americanmade stinger missiles largely contributed to the mujahideen effort. A superpowers inability to deny insurgent sanctuary 5a. The war in afghanistan 19791989 has been called the soviet unions vietnam war, a conflict that pitted soviet regulars against a relentless, elusive, and ultimately unbeatable afghan guerrilla force the mujahideen.
The mujahideen obtained weapons from many sources, mostly supplied by the cia during operation cyclone and channeled through pakistan. According to the official version of history, cia aid to the mujahideen began during 1980, that is to say, after the soviet army invaded afghanistan, 24 dec 1979. Soviet and mujahideen uniforms, clothing, and equipment in. Aug 04, 2014 in the brutal nineyear conflict, an estimated one million civilians were killed, as well as 90,000 mujahideen fighters, 18,000 afghan troops, and 14,500 soviet soldiers. The battles for zhawar in the sovietafghan war the journal of slavic. The afghanistan war and the breakdown of the soviet union. The mujahideen fought against soviet and dra troops during the soviet war in afghanistan and were supported by united states assistance. Azzam postulated that islam was under assault and that jihad had now become a. Recent stories suggest that the chinese are sending arms to iran and thus on to the taliban today. Mujahideen tactics in the sovietafghan war illustrated. Based on hundreds of interviews with former mujahideen in the mid 1990s, it is an invaluble account of how asymmetric warfare looks from the guerrillas side. Us officer lester grau interviews many afghan mujahideen who fought the soviet aggressors during the early 80s.
The soviet vietnam by tamarov is a photographic record of one soldiers tour in the war, mainly personal images but some great pictures of equipment. Feb 09, 2002 to many observers of the afghan conflict, it seems as if the world suddenly discovered afghanistan after 11 september 2001. The sovietafghan war began in 1979 and ended in 1989. Young boy joins guerilla movement in nuristan steve mccurry during the cold war, sovietled afghan forces fought against the the mujahideen. The mujahideen resistance fighters fought a war of attrition against the soviet army and allied afghan forces.
With over 500 images, this book presents frontline soldiers, ncos, and officers in the main combat branches of the soviet armed forces as well as mujahideen warriors, actually ordinary afghans, who were thrust by fate into the midst of a relentless guerrilla war against one of the largest regular armies in the world. List of military equipment used by mujahideen during. Part of the cold war, it was fought between soviet led afghan forces against multinational insurgent groups called the mujahideen, mostly composed of two alliances the peshawar seven and the tehran eight. Accounts of mujahideen activity were told entirely from the soviet perspective. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. The soviet war in afghanistan, 1979 1989 the atlantic. Soviet paratrooper vs mujahideen fighter osprey publishing. The sovietafghan war was a conflict wherein insurgent groups known collectively as the mujahideen as well as smaller maoist groups, fought a nineyear guerrilla war against the soviet army and the democratic republic of afghanistan government throughout the 1980s, mostly in the afghan countryside. Did the mujahideen commit atrocities during the soviet afghan war. Out of those interviews grau wrote three books, this one being the second with ahmed jalali. Frankenstein the cia created world news the guardian. Mujahideen tactics in the sovietafghan war by jalali, ali ahmad. Mujahideen fighters in afghanistan during the soviet occupation of the early 1980s in 1979, the soviets invaded and occupied afghanistan, a small country in central asia.
Dec 29, 2010 an afghan fighter with a usmade antiaircraft missile during the soviet invasion. Originally printed in very limited numbers in 1995, this book is a companion. This book tells the story of the soviet afghan war in the words of the mujahideen guerrillas themselves. They were supported by britains mi6 who also conducted their own covert actions. Soviet and mujahideen uniforms, clothing, and equipment in the sovietafghan war, 19791989. Starting with the saur revolution military coup, an almost continuous series of armed conflicts has dominated and afflicted afghanistan. This book delivers exactly what the title indicates. Cowritten with the journalist tam hussein, the book is part memoir, part reflection.
Mujahideen tactics in the sovietafghan war by ali ahmad jalali, lester w. The afghanistan conflict is a series of wars that has been fought in afghanistan since 1978. Check out these photos of afghan mujahideen during the z afghan child warrior afghanistan. This is a one of a kind historical accountmanual of guerilla tactics used by the afghan rebels against the russians during the sovietafghan war. Cia was aiding afghan rebels before the soviets invaded in 79 newly declassified documents detail u. The soviet union intervened in support of the afghan communist government in its conflict with anticommunist muslim guerrillas during the afghan war 197892 and remained in afghanistan until midfebruary 1989. The leaders of afghanistan during the war included general. The soviet war in afghanistan lasted nine years from december 1979 to february 1989. Mujahideen tactics in the sovietafghan war, by lester grau and ali ahmad jalali. This revived tensions between the united states and the soviet union and helped usher in what many dubbed the second cold war.
Many weapons were also captured from soviet or dra forces. Mujahideen tactics in the sovietafghan war illustrated edition ebook written by lester k. The soviet troops tried to crush the insurgency by various tactics, but the guerrillas generally eluded their attacks. The mujahideen fought against soviet and dra troops during the sovietafghan war 19791989. The sovietafghan war lasted nearly a decade from december 1979 to february 1989. The hidden war by borovik is a very good account of experiences and morale or lack of units during the war, written by what would now be called an embedded reporter. Afghanistans resistance movement originated in chaos and, at first, regional warlords waged virtually all of its fighting locally. Similar to the mujahideen in the sovietafghan war, todays insurgents are leveraging.
What do russians think about the mass rape of afghan women by. Mujahideen tactics in the soviet afghan war by jalali, ali ahmad. This paper is largely a paraphrase of two excellent books. Afghan resistance to russian invasion georgykonstantinovichzhukov.
Performing organization names and addresses united states marine corps,command and staff college, marine corps. Mujahideen tactics in the soviet afghan war, by lester grau and ali ahmad jalali. Their tactics were not standard, but differed from valley to valley and tribe to tribe. The government fell in 1992, but the coalition of mujahideen fragmented and continued to fight one another in the years that followed. I cannot say that they did not do it after or even today. May 11, 2020 soviet invasion of afghanistan, military action carried out in late december 1979 by soviet troops. The late sheikh abdullah azzams books the web site cannot be. The copy of azzams ayyat alrahman fee jihad alafghan used in the. Afghanistan s resistance movement originated in chaos and, at first, regional warlords waged virtually all of its fighting locally. This list shows military equipment used by the mujahideen during the sovietafghan war. Based on hundreds of interviews with former mujahideen in the mid 1990s, it is an invaluble.
Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read the other side of the mountain. After the soviet union pulled out of the conflict in the late 1980s, the mujahideen fought each other for control in the subsequent afghan civil war. The hitandrun bloodletting across the war s decade tallied more than 25,000 dead soviet soldiers plus a great many more casualties and further demoralized a ussr on the. The mujahideen were backed primarily by the united states, saudi arabia, pakistan and the.
This is the stronger of graus books on the soviet afghan war by far. Theres no doubt that women do and did get targeted by a lot of opposition militia men, afghan women have also be. Mujahideen tactics in the soviet afghan war fort leavenworth, kansas. Jun 17, 2018 contrary to popular belief of russian soldiers going on a rampage of raping afghan women, this doesnt hold true on a national level. Then came the soviet invasion of afghanistan in 1979 and what. The afghan war quickly settled down into a stalemate, with about 100,000 soviet troops controlling the cities, large towns, and major garrisons and the mujahideen roaming relatively freely throughout the countryside. At his home in the mountains north of kabul, former mujahideen fighter shah sulaiman closed his damaged eyes, took a sip of green.
Did the mujahideen commit atrocities during the sovietafghan. May 20, 2017 americas covert war in afghanistan, using pakistan as a launch pad, was initiated during the carter administration prior to the soviet invasion. Afghan mujahideen, whose main backers were the soviet unions cold war. Outnumbered and outgunned, they used classic guerrilla tactics to gradually wear down and finally defeat the soviet army. As warfare became more sophisticated, outside support and regional coordination grew. The soviet afghanistan war was fought between afghanistan rebels called the mujahideen and the soviet supported afghanistan government. Afghan war 197892, internal conflict between the afghan communist government, initially aided by soviet troops, and anticommunist islamic guerrillas known collectively as mujahideen. List of military equipment used by mujahideen during soviet. The book is broken into chapters like raids, ambushes, defense etc. The other side of the mountain mujahideen tactics in the. The mujahideen shot down six soviet aircraft, including a transport helicopter, in the fighting. Mujahideen trained and funded by the us are among its deadliest foes, reports jason burke in peshawar. Are there any good books about the sovietafghan war.
Passing interest following the soviet invasion in 1979 and the subsequent struggle of the mujahideen against its occupation was soon replaced by war weariness and disinterest. Mujahideen prayer in shultan valley kunar, 1987 jihadism. The tactics of the mujahideen reflected this lack of central cohesion. Also lacking was more detail on the mujahideen perspective on the war. In 1989 the soviet union withdrew its forces from afghanistan. The soviet s war in afghanistan had russian pilots. This list shows military equipment used by the mujahideen during the soviet afghan war. This is the stronger of graus books on the sovietafghan war by far. In fairness, this book sources only one document, and information about the inner workings of mujahideen forces. The mujahideen fought against soviet and dra troops during the soviet afghan war 19791989. Why did china help the mujahideen in the afghansoviet war. For ten years the mujahideen fought a military superpower that had invaded their homeland. The united states supported the afghanistan rebels in order to try and overthrow the communist government and to prevent the spread of communism.
Many of the foreign fighters were veterans of the sovietafghan war. The war in afghanistan 19791989 has been called the soviet unions vietnam war, a conflict that pitted soviet regulars against a relentless, elusive, and ultimately unbeatable afghan guerrilla force the. Sep 17, 2019 the word mujahideen comes from the same arabic root as jihad, which means struggle. Soviet combat tactics in afghanistan, by lester grau. Fourfifths of the afghan national army deserted in the first year of the war, which, compounded with the spread and intensification of the rebellion led by the formidable guerrilla fighters of the mujahideen, forced the soviets to intensify their involvement. In the context of afghanistan during the late 20th century, the mujahideen were islamic warriors defending their country from the soviet union, which invaded afghanistan in 1979 and fought a bloody war there for a decade. Anas still believes in defensive jihad in the sense of a morally just war. The government fell in 1992, but the coalition of mujahideen fragmented and continued to. Foreign military studies office, 1995, xiiixx 2 2 lester w. Part of the cold war, it was fought between sovietled afghan forces against multinational insurgent groups called the mujahideen, mostly composed of two alliances the peshawar seven and the tehran eight. Operation cyclone was the code name for the united states central intelligence agency cia program to arm and finance the mujahideen in afghanistan from 1979 to 1989, prior to and during the military intervention by the ussr in support of its client, the democratic republic of afghanistan. Jan 01, 2002 3 this was the case during two wars with great britain in the 19th century 18391842, 18781880.
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