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How did the Afghan mujahideen fight Afghan and Soviet forces during the Afghan War?
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guerrilla warfare
A masked Iraqi Shiʿi militia fighter dashing across a street, carrying a rocket-propelled grenade launcher, Baghdad, August 7, 2004.
During the Afghan War, the mujahideen employed decentralized guerrilla tactics to counter Soviet and Afghan government forces. Because they lacked heavy equipment, they relied on their mobility in the countryside, often using animal transport to move through terrain where Soviet motor transport struggled.12
Key aspects of their military approach included:
- Evasion and Stalemate: The mujahideen generally eluded direct Soviet attacks, allowing them to maintain control over much of the rural landscape while Soviet forces remained largely confined to cities and major garrisons.1
- Neutralizing Air Power: A turning point occurred in 1986 when the mujahideen acquired shoulder-fired surface-to-air missiles from the United States and Great Britain. This technology allowed them to challenge Soviet air superiority, which had previously been used to bomb and depopulate rural areas to destroy civilian support for the insurgency.12
- Foreign Support: Their combat organization and weaponry improved significantly over time due to a large influx of arms and matériel supplied via Pakistan, as well as the arrival of international volunteers known as "Afghan-Arabs".12
Despite these successes, the mujahideen remained politically fragmented and their military efforts were never fully coordinated throughout the conflict.12