Mujahideen during soviet afghan war book

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. 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. In 1988, the soviet army left afghanistan after a concerted campaign by the westernbacked mujahideen. Afghan war, in the history of afghanistan, the internal conflict that began in 1978 between anticommunist islamic guerrillas and the afghan communist government aided in 197989 by soviet troops, leading to the overthrow of the government in 1992. Thus, a mujahid is someone who struggles or someone who fights. Due to heavy financial support and the supplying of arms to the mujahideen by the us and saudi arabia, the insurgent forces ended up being too much for the soviets, eventually forcing them to withdraw their troops from the country. Another muj practice which the soviets dreaded, described in soviet paratrooper vs mujahideen fighter, was the puppet. To help bring a quick victory, the resulting escalation of troops to pacify the region leads to the bloodiest year of the war. What did the soviets do with captured mujahideen during. The sovietafghan war by members of the russian general staff, and translated by lester grau and michael gross, is a summary overview of the soviet experience in the afghan invasion and war of the 1980s. 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. 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. The sovietafghan war lasted over nine years from december 1979 to february 1989. The beginning of the soviet war in afghanistan is shrouded in paradoxes.

Why did china help the mujahideen in the afghansoviet war. The peshawar seven insurgents received military training in neighboring pakistan and china, as well as. What do russians think about the mass rape of afghan women. The road, although an allseason major highway, was vulnerable to mujahideen ambushes at almost the large green zone to the south of kandahar. Out of those interviews grau wrote three books, this one being the second with ahmed jalali. Soviet voices from the afghanistan war by svetlana alexievich, the soviet afghan war. Cia was aiding afghan rebels before the soviets invaded in 79 newly declassified documents detail u. It also got the chinese some credit from the us money. This is the stronger of graus books on the soviet afghan war by far. As a result, there is little sense of the evolution of mujahideen tactics during the war or of. Congressman charlie wilson and cia operative gust avrakotos, whose efforts led to operation cyclone, a program to organize and support the afghan mujahideen during the sovietafghan war.

During the last years of the cold war, the soviet union sent some of its most elite troops to unfamiliar lands in central asia to fight a vaguely defined. List of military equipment used by mujahideen during soviet. Nevertheless, the former officers proved to be the most effectivetactical and operational leaders that the mujahideen had during the long years of war with the soviet forces. The book consists of separate chapters on various aspects of the war, including the experiences of various components of the soviet army. 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. Much of the traditional commentary from the western world seems to focus on the conduct of the soviet forces, cold war and such. The united states supported the afghanistan rebels in order to try and overthrow the communist government and to prevent the spread of communism. Soviet combat tactics in afghanistan had help deciphering the russian general staff papers from gress, a soviet migr who served in the soviet army. Mujahideen tactics in the sovietafghan war jalali, ali ahmad.

Mujahideen tactics in the sovietafghan war paperback. The soviet troops tried to crush the insurgency by various tactics, but the guerrillas generally eluded their attacks. The soviets withdrew from that country in 1989, leaving the afghan factions to fight it out in a civil war. More broadly, the term also encompasses military activity within afghanistan after 1992but. Also lacking was more detail on the mujahideen perspective on the war. Muslim guerrillas known as the mujahideen, variously commanded by regional afghan warlords heavily subsidized by the united states, fighting against afghan and soviet forces. Outnumbered and outgunned, they used classic guerrilla tactics to gradually wear down and finally. Nov 06, 2015 the soviet afghan war lasted nine long, bloody years. The soviet war in afghanistan lasted nine years from december 1979 to february 1989. Historiography sovietafghan war flashcards quizlet. Additionally, 572 state security service personnel, 28 officers of the ussr interior ministry, as well as 190 military advisers, including 145 officers, were killed during the soviet afghan war. Soviet invasion of afghanistan, military action carried out in late december 1979 by soviet troops.

The soviet war in afghanistan was a grueling debacle that has striking lessons for the twentyfirst century. At this point during cold war, the soviet union was already in a downward turn. A look back at the mujahiddin who fought the soviet backed government of afghanistan with us support, and who then fought against the nato forces who invaded in 2001 in 1979. This is the stronger of graus books on the sovietafghan war by far. The mujahideen obtained weapons from many sources, mostly supplied by the cia during operation cyclone and channeled through pakistan.

This book delivers exactly what the title indicates. In his 2011 book afgantsy, former british ambassador to russia rodric. Mujahideen tactics in the soviet afghan war every point. Theres no doubt that women do and did get targeted by a lot of opposition militia men, afghan women have also be. How did the mujahideen finally defeat the soviets in. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Soviet and mujahideen uniforms, clothing, and equipment in. This book tells the story of the sovietafghan war in the words of the mujahideen guerrillas themselves. The soviet afghan war was a conflict wherein insurgent groups known collectively as the mujahideen, as well as smaller maoist groups, fought a guerrilla war against the soviet army and the democratic republic of afghanistan government for over nine years, throughout the 1980s, mostly in the afghan countryside. New soviet leader mikhail gorbachev publicly states that he wants to end the war in afghanistan. The main body of the book is about soviet army and air force tactics, operations, and armaments. Jan 14, 2014 the summery and point of view of the united states during the 1980s explaining the conflict that lasted over nine years. Wilson is best known for leading congress into supporting operation cyclone, the largestever central intelligence agency cia covert operation, which during the carter and reagan administration supplied military equipment to the afghan mujahideen during the soviet afghan war.

Based on hundreds of interviews with former mujahideen in the mid 1990s, it is an invaluble. Why did china support the mujahideen during the soviet. Who supported the mujahideen during the soviet afghan war. The mujahideen were backed primarily by the united states, saudi arabia, pakistan and the united kingdom making it a cold war proxy war. Check out these photos of afghan mujahideen during the afghan mujahideen during the 19791980 18 page 2 of 2 best of web shrine members of the afghan mujaheddin. When the soviet union invaded afghanistan in 1979, few experts believed the fledgling mujahideen resistance movement had a chance of withstanding the modern, mechanized onslaught of the soviet army. Defense mapping agency for the final preparation of the material. The battle of zhawar zhawar is an area within the khost province of afghanistan. 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. They put the villagers in danger of death from soviet retaliation. Outnumbered and outgunned, they used classic guerrilla tactics. According to the book afgantsy by rodric braithwaite, a muj commander was known to partially skin and castrate soviet prisoners and leave them out surrounded by booby traps. But i had never thought about the fate of the captured mujahideen before.

This list shows military equipment used by the mujahideen during the sovietafghan war. Soviet operations began officially in afghanistan in december of 1979. The book relates a group of stories by location and type of activity and then critiques. Soviet union in the international community, and significantly strained its fragile economy. We plan to write about these battles in a future book. President jimmy carters focus was more on iran during the months before the soviet invasion of. Hereceived a book from the history of military art department at thefrunze combined arms academy in moscow. The sovietafghan war was a conflict wherein insurgent groups known collectively as the mujahideen, as well as smaller maoist groups, fought a guerrilla war against the soviet army and the democratic republic of afghanistan government for over nine years, throughout the 1980s, mostly in the afghan countryside.

Jun 01, 2011 nevertheless, the former officers proved to be the most effectivetactical and operational leaders that the mujahideen had during the long years of war with the soviet forces. The afghan civil war 199296 began when infighting between the mujahideen. Logistics initially, the mujahideen lived in the villages they defended and the villagers provided their food and shelter. 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. Mujahideen tactics in the sovietafghan war illustrated edition. 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. May 31, 2011 the war startedbefore the soviet invasion and continued long after their departure. Blood spilt and machines destroyed are not the measure of this war. But somehow, the mujahideen prevailed against a larger and decisively better equipped foe. Mikhail gorbachev soviet leader during the end of the war who made the decision to withdraw troops. May 28, 2018 mujahideen treatment of prisoners was fantastically savage to the point that soviet soldiers made it a point to save the last bullet or grenade for themselves to avoid capture. The book is broken into chapters like raids, ambushes, defense etc.

Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Determined to stabilize the rapidly deteriorating politicalmilitary situation in its newest client state, the soviet union conducted a coup. The mujahideen fought against soviet and dra troops during the soviet war in afghanistan and were supported by united states assistance. The united states viewed the conflict in afghanistan as an integral cold war struggle, and the cia provided assistance to anti soviet mujahideen rebels through the pakistani intelligence services in a program called operation cyclone. The war was caused when the pro soviet nur mohammad taraki government began to lose control of afghanistan. The mujahideen fought against soviet and dra troops during the soviet war in afghanistan19791989.

This was caused by political and personal differences between khrushchev, the leader of the ussr and mao zedong, leader of china. The invasion supposedly began on christmas day 1979, with the arrival. Soviet invasion of afghanistan useful notes tv tropes. But since then, many enduring myths have grown up about the war torn country. Division to the afghan mujahideen during the soviet war in afghanistan. For ten years the mujahideen fought a military superpower that had invaded their homeland. Accounts of mujahideen activity were told entirely from the soviet perspective. The soviet prisoner was blinded and his limbs were chopped off before what was left was be. They continued until february of 1989 when the withdrawal phase was completed.

Soviet troops attack mujahideen positions in afghanistan. Pakistan got israeli weapons during afghan war daily times. Mujahideen tactics in the sovietafghan war illustrated edition kindle edition by grau, lester k. How a superpower fought and lost modern war studies by the russian general staff, lester w. Sep 04, 20 china and the soviet union had a number of border incidents during the 1980s and at one time a war was possible, in the 1980s china could not take on the ussr in a war and expect to win so anything that could distract thesoviets was a good thing. Did the mujahideen commit atrocities during the soviet. When the mujahideen had it good, they had it very good indeed. Us officer lester grau interviews many afghan mujahideen who fought the soviet aggressors during the early 80s.

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. 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. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read the other side of the mountain. The mujahideen were organized into different political parties, and armed and supported by different countries, including saudi arabia and pakistan, as well as the united states, and they gained significantly in power and money during the course of the afghan soviet war. Mujahideen tactics in the sovietafghan warabout the book. Did the mujahideen commit atrocities during the soviet afghan war. Unable to break the will ofthe mujahideen, who were fighting ajihadagainst infidels, soviet prospects for success inafghanistan demanded the elimination ofinternal and transnational sanctuary. 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. Many weapons were also captured from soviet or dra forces. Sovietafghanistan war overview history of war in the 20th. 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.

They called themselves mujahideen sometimes spelled mujahidin, a word applied initially to afghan fighters who opposed the push of the british raj into afghanistan in the 19th century. The sovietbacked afghan government survived until the fall of kabul in 1992. Congressman charlie wilson and cia operative gust avrakotos, whose efforts led to operation cyclone, a program to organize and support the afghan mujahideen during the soviet afghan war. The book is mainly a collection of first hand accounts of mujahideen leaders and fighters of their logistics and fighting tactics against the soviet forces and the soviet trained, communist controlled afghan army in the 1980s. For those who wish to consult the map sheets, map sheet numbersare given with. The following is derived from the russian general staffs study of the afghan war.

The soviet afghanistan war was fought between afghanistan rebels called the mujahideen and the soviet supported afghanistan government. Contrary to popular belief of russian soldiers going on a rampage of raping afghan women, this doesnt hold true on a national level. Charlie wilsons war is a 2007 american biographical comedydrama film, based on the story of u. Mujahideen tactics in the sovietafghan war apan community. 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 leaders of afghanistan during the war included general. This list shows military equipment used by the mujahideen during the soviet afghan war. In the great gamble, gregory feifer examines the conflict from the perspective of the soldiers on the ground.

In the 1970s, a new group of fighters arose in afghanistan. Outnumbered and outgunned, they used classic guerrilla tactics to gradually wear down and finally defeat the soviet army. 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. Mujahideen atrocities in afghanistan axis history forum. What was the largest battle fought in the sovietafghan war. Washington most of the afghan war against the soviet union was fought using israeli arms supplied after general ziaul haq entered into secret deals with tel aviv, says a recently published book, charlie wilson s war. A superpowers inability to deny insurgent sanctuary soviet combat operations, inadequate force, countering international support for the mujahideen, demographics. Mujahideen tactics in the soviet afghan war from the worlds largest community of readers. In this example the soviets had to move supplies to a large group of forces about 50 lulometers away. The united states and the mujahideen history of western. The extraordinary story of the largest covert operation in history. This book tells the story of the soviet afghan war in the words of the mujahideen guerrillas themselves. 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. Mujahideen tactics in the sovietafghan war about the book ali ahmad jalali about the book edit author les grau, regularly travels back and forth to russia.

Check out these photos of afghan mujahideen during the afghan mujahideen during the 19791980 18 page 2 of 2 best of web shrine members of the afghan. 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. Outnumbered and outgunned, they used classic guerrilla tactics to gradually wear down and finally defeat the soviet. Sovietafghanistan war timeline history of war in the 20th. They equipped them weapons worth millions and also trained them in pakistan and later on in chinas soil. Sep 17, 2019 the word mujahideen comes from the same arabic root as jihad, which means struggle. The soviet war in afghanistan, 1979 1989 the atlantic.

Zhawar is, additionally, the name of a village within khost province, approximately six miles distant from the boundary between pakistan and afghanistan. Book overview when the soviet union invaded afghanistan in 1979, few experts believed the fledgling mujahideen resistance movement had a chance of withstanding the modern, mechanized onslaught of the soviet army. Considering that my father has several friends of veterans of the afghan war, and i have repeatedly witnessed their conversations in our home. Originally printed in very limited numbers in 1995, this book is a companion. In fairness, this book sources only one document, and information about the inner workings of mujahideen forces and afghan society might have been sparse prior to 2002. A former mujahideen fighter who cowrote about the tactics of the mujahideen with grau in the book the other side of the mountain. The mujahideen resistance fighters fought a war of attrition against the soviet army and allied afghan forces.