The Other Side of the Mountain: Mujahideen Tactics in the Soviet-Afghan War/Glossary
GLOSSARY edit
Afghanistan National Liberation Front (ANLF)—Jebh-e-Nejat-i-Melli Afghanistan}) founded by Sebqhatullah Mojadeddi. Theparty is moderate.
AGS-17—A Soviet-manufactured, tripod-mounted automatic grenade
launcher which fires 30mm grenades from a thirty round drum
magazine. The maximum range of the AGS-17 is 1,700 meters.Air assault—Helicopter borne assault into an area.ANLF-Afghanistan National Liberation Front of Mojadeddi.AO—Area of operations.
APC—Armored personnel carrier, any of the wheeled or trackedSoviet-manufactured combat vehicles used to transportsoldiers.
Bernau—Czechoslovak M26 light machine gun which fires from a top-loading 20-round magazine. This excellent 7 9mm weapon wasdeveloped between World War I and II and was sold abroad asthe M30 to China, Yugoslavia and Romania. The British Brengun is based on the M26 design. The Mujahideen called them20-shooters.
BM-1—Single barrel 107mm rocket launcher.
BM-12—An obsolete Soviet multiple rocket launcher. The Chineseimproved and manufactured it as the Type 63. MostMujahideen BM-12s were actually Chinese Type 63s. It isground-mounted, has twelve barrels and fires 107mm rockets toa distance of 8,500 meters. It weighs 611 kilograms.
M-21—A truck-mounted, 40-tube multiple rocket launcher whichfires 122mm rockets to a distance of 20.5 kilometers. TheMujahideen mostly called this the BM-40.
BM-22—A truck-mounted, 16-tube multiple rocket launcher whichfires 220mm rockets to a distance of 40 kilometers. The type ofrocket warheads include high-explosive fragmentation, chemi-cal, incendiary and remotely delivery mines The Soviet nick-
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name for this lethal system is Uragan (Hurricane). Westernanalysts initially identified this system as the BM27.
BMP—A Soviet tracked infantry fighting vehicle that carries a three-man crew and a squad of eight soldiers. The BMP-1 mounts a73mm cannon, a 7.62mm machine gun and an antitank missile.The BMP-2 carries a 30mm automatic gun and a different anti-tank missile and launcher.
BRDM—A Soviet four-wheeled armored car used primarily for recon-naissance. It has two auxiliary wheels for extra mobility. In itsvarious configurations, it carries either a 12.7mm machine gun,a 7.62mm machine gun or both.
BMD—A Soviet air-dropable, armored personnel carrier that carriesup to nine men (usually a maximum of seven). It has the sameturret as the BMP, so the BMD-1 has the 73mm cannon of theBMP-1 and the BMD-2 has the 30mm automatic gun of theBMP-2. They were widely used by Soviet airborne and airassault force. The Mujahideen called them "commando tanks"
BTR—A Soviet eight-wheeled armored personnel carrier that cancarry up to an 11-man squad. It mounts 14.5mm and 7.62mmmachine guns and can carry antitank weapons as well. TheBTR and BMP were the most common infantry carriers of theSoviet Forces.
Commander—During the war against the Soviets, the Mujahideenhad no rank structure, so the term commander applied to allmilitary commanders whether they led 10 men or 1,000.
Dari—Afghan Farsi or Persian spoken by about 50% of the population.DRA—Democratic Republic of Afghanistan. The communist govern-ment of Afghanistan.
DShK—Soviet-manufactured 12.7mm heavy machine gun. It is aprimary armament on Soviet-manufactured armored vehiclesand is effective against ground and air targets. It has awheeled carriage, tripod and mountain mount for ground andair defense firing. It has rate of fire of 540-600 rounds perminute with a maximum range of 7000 meters and an effectiverange of 1500 meters against ground targets and 1000 metersagainst air targets.
Enfield—British-manufactured .303 bolt-action rifle which was thestandard British infantry weapon from 1895 through the
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Korean War. It saw wide service on the North-West Frontierand its long range and powerful cartridge made it a favorite inIndia and Afghanistan. It has a maximum range of 2550meters and an effective range of 800 meters. It has a 10-roundmagazine and can carry an additional round in the chamber, sothe Mujahideen called them 11-shooters.
Etehad-e Islami (EIA)—Mujahideen faction led by Abdurab RasulSayaf.
Ghar—Pushto term for mountain.
Green zone—Agricultural region of gardens, orchards, fields andvineyards bisected by a network of irrigation ditches. They nor-mally border rivers and some sections of highway and most arepractically impassible for vehicles.
Goryunov—The heavy machine gun SGM Stankovy GoryunovModernizovanniy M-49 was adopted by the Soviet Army duringWorld War II and modernized versions are in service with theRussian Army today. It is a gas-operated, air-cooled, company-level, 7.62mm weapon that has vehicle and ground mounts. Ithas a rate of fire of 650 round per minute and a maximum rangeof 2,500 meters and an effective range of 1,000 meters.
Haji—The title of a person who has made the pilgrimage to Mecca.Harbakai—Pashtu tribal policemen or regulators.
HI—Islamic Movement of Ayatollah Shaikh Asef Muhsini.HIH—Islamic Party of Gulbuddin Hikmatyar.
HIK—Islamic Party of Mawlawi Yunus Khalis.
Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI)—Pakistan's intelligence servicefor internal and external security, political and military intelli-gence and counterintelligence. The ISI was responsible for fun-neling aid to the Mujahideen and providing training toMujahideen combatants and support personnel.
IRMA—Islamic Revolutionary Movement of Afghanistan of MawlawiMohammad Nabi Mohammadi.
Islamic Party (HIH)— (Hezb-e-Islami-Gulbuddin) founded in 1974 tofight the Daoud government. It later split as cofoundersRabanni and Khalis founded their own factions. Its leader,Gulbuddin Hikmatyar is a fundamentalist internationalist.Hikmatyar's party received more outside aid from Pakistan, theUnited States and Saudi Arabia than any other party.
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Islamic Party (HIK)—(Hezb-e-Islami-Khalis) was founded byMawlawi Mohammed Yunis Khalis who left Afghanistan forPakistan in 1973 after the Daoud coup. Khalis is fromNangahar Province. His most famous commanders includeAbdul Haq in Kabul and Jalladuddin Hagani of PaktiaProvince. The party is fundamentalist.
Islamic Revolutionary Movement (IRMA)—(Harakat-e-Inqilab-i-Islami) was founded by Mohammad Nabi Mohammadi. Theparty is moderate (traditional Islamist).
Islamic Movement (HI)—(Harakat-i Islami) was founded byAyatollah Asef Muhsini in Iran as a minority Shia faction. Theparty has a traditional Islamic orientation.
Islamic Society (JIA)—(Jamiat-i-Islami) was founded by Burha-nud-din Rabbani who fled to Pakistan in 1974. His mostfamous commanders are Ahmd Shah Masood and IsmailKhan. The party is primarily fundamentalist and dominatedby ethnic Tadjiks.
Islamic Union for the Liberation of Afghanistan (IUA)—(Itttihad-i-Islami) was founded by Abd Al-Rab Abdul-RassulSayyaf. This used to be called the EIA until 1981. The factionis fundamentalist. In the mid-1980s, they again changed thename to the Islamic Union of Afghanistan.
JIA—Islamic Society Of Rabbani.
Jihad—Holy war conducted for preservation of the faith.
Kal—Local term in Farah Province for canyon
Kalashnikov—Soviet automatic assault rifle. The AK-47 and AKMKalashnikovs fire a 7.62mm round while the AK-74 fires a5.45mm round.
Kandow—Pushto term for mountain pass.
Karez—An Afghanistan system of underground tunnels used for thecollection of ground water and for carrying water for surfaceirrigation. The Mujahideen used them for shelter and ambush.
KHAD—The secret police of the Afghan government responsible fordetecting and eradicating domestic political opposition, sub-verting the mujahideen, penetrating opposition groups abroadand providing military intelligence to the armed forces throughits military wing. The KHAD was patterned after the SovietKGB and GRU and apparently reported to the KGB.
Khalq—(Farsi for masses or people). One of the two communist fac-tions of the PDPA.
KIA—Killed in action.
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Kochi—Kochi are nomadic tribesmen of Afghanistan. They liveprimarily by herding and trading sheep, goats and camels.Koh—Dari term for mountain.
Lashkar—A Pushto term for tribal armed force.
LOC—Lines of communication.
LZ—Landing zone.
Madrassa—Arabic term for an Islamic religious school.Markaz—Mujahideen base.
Mawlawi—Islamic religious scholar.
MIA—Missing in Action.
Model 1938 Mortar—The Soviet Model 1938 107mm mortar was orig-inally the standard regimental mortar for mountain units. It isa reduced size version of the 120mm mortar suitable for trans-port on a pack animal. It can fire 15 rounds per minute and hasa maximum range of 5150 meters firing the heavy round and6300 meters firing the light round.
Mulla—Islamic religious leader or Imam.
Mosin-Nagant—The Model M1891/30 is a Russian/Soviet bolt-actionrifle or carbine which fires the 7.62x54 cartridge. It was usedin the Russo-Japanese War, World War I and World War II.Many models come with a folding bayonet. The rifle has a max-imum range of 2000 meters and an effective range of 400meters. The Mujahideen called them five-shooters.
MRL (Multiple rocket launcher)—A ground-mounted or truck-mounted rocket artillery system capable of firing a salvo ofrockets at a target.
Mujahideen (holy warrior)—A member of the Afghan resistance.
National Islamic Front of Afghanistan (NIFA)—(Mahaz-e-MelliIslami}). Founded by Pir Sayed Ahmad Gailani, this moderateparty attracted a number of former officers from the AfghanArmy and moderate technocrats.
NIFA—National Islamic Front of Afghanistan of Gailani.
OP—Observation Post.
Parcham—(Farsi for flag) Faction of the communist PDPA.PDPA—Peoples Democratic Party of Afghanistan—the communistparty of Afghanistan.
Pir—Title designating sainthood and leader in the Sufi orders.
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PK—Soviet 7.62mm company machine gun which replaced theGoryunov machine gun. It weighs 16.5 kilograms and has aneffective range of 1000 meters. The Mujahideen call them 100-shooters since they fire out of a 100 round box of linkedammunition.
POL—Petroleum, oil and lubricants.
Pushtun—The dominant ethnic group (nearly 50%) of Afghanistanwho speak Pashtu. The British historically referred to thesepeople as Pathans.
Qawm—The basic subnational Afghan identify based on kinship, res-idence and sometimes occupation.
Ramadan—The Islamic holy month of fasting.
RDM—Remotely delivered mines Mines which can be emplaced byaviation, artillery or MRL fire.
RPG-7—Soviet manufactured shoulder-fired antitank weapon whichfires a shaped-charge rocket. It has an effective range of 300meters.
RPG-18—Soviet manufactured single-shot, shoulder-fired antitankweapon which fires a 66mm shaped-charge rocket. The rock-et is stored in an extendable storage tube which also functionsas a launcher. The launcher is thrown away after use. It hasan effective range of 135 meters and is a copy of theUSM72A2 LAW.
Sagar—Egyptian 107mm or 122mm MRL. It has one, two, three andfour-barrel light-weight launchers. The 107mm (Saqar 20) hasa maximum range of 8000 meters and the 122mm (Saqar 30)has a maximum range of 10,800 meters. The 107mm model wasmore common in Afghanistan. Some Mujahideen state thatthey had special rounds which enabled the Saqar to reach 20kilometers and the Saqar 30 to reach 30 kilometers. Saqarmeans "eagle" in Egyptian.
Sarandoy—DRA Ministry of the Interior armed forces, a heavilyarmed police force. They were organized into six brigades orregiments (numbering about 60,000 men) and were based inKandahar, Badakhstan, Baghlan and Paravan provinces plustwo in Kabul. The Sarandoy had an additional estimated 6,000men in operational and mountain battalions.
Shaheed—Martyr. The plural is shaheedan or shuhada..
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Shia—The minority Islamic community in Afghanistan following theImami Shiism (the dominant faith in neighboring Iran) orIsmaili Shiism.
SKS—(Samozaryadiy karabin Simonova}) gas-operated semi-automat-ic Soviet carbine with a folding bayonet. It has a ten-shot mag-azine and fires the 7.62x39 cartridge to a maximum range of1000 meters with a 400 meter effective range. The first modelswere fielded in 1931 and it was a standard weapon of the Soviet -Army during World War II through the early 1950s. TheMujahideen simply called them carbines.
SOP—Standard operating procedures.
Spetsnaz—Soviet forces trained for long-range reconnaissance, com-mando and special forces type combat.
Sufi—A mystic branch of Islam with considerable influence inAfghanistan. Sufis are more widespread among Sunnis.
Sunni—The majority Islamic community in Afghanistan. Over two-thirds of the populace are Sunnis, followers of the HanafiSchool.
Tadjik—Ethnic Afghans from the northeastern regions of Afghanistanwho make up about 25% of the population.
Tsadar—All purpose cloth that Afghans carry and wear. It serves asa ground cloth, sleeping bag, camouflage covering, bundle wrapand shroud.
Uzbek—Ethnic Afghans primarily in the north central part ofAfghanistan who make up 10% of the population and speakTurkic.
WIA—Wounded in Action.
ZGU—(Zenitnaya gornaya ustanovka}) Mountain air defense weaponsmount. Any Soviet air defense weapon that can disassembledfor transport into the mountains by pack animals or porters.Usually this means that the weapons mount or pedestal has nowheels.
ZGU-1—A ZPU-1 mounted on a ZGU mount.
ZPU-1—A Soviet 14 5mm ground-mounted antiaircraft machine gunwhich is towed on a light, two-wheeled carriage. The system isbuilt around a single-barreled KPV heavy machine gun whichhas a cyclic rate of fire of 600 rounds per minute and a practi-
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cal rate of fire of 150 rounds per minute. The belt-fed machinegun feeds from a 150 round box and has a maximum horizontalrange of 7000 meters and a maximum effective antiaircraftrange of 1400 meters. It weighs 581 kilograms
ZPU-2—A twin-barrel version of the ZPU-1.
ZSU-23 4—A Soviet self-propelled air defense weapon Which fires four23mm machine guns simultaneously. The Soviets used thisweapon for counter ambushes and in the destruction of groundtargets.