Afghan Guerrilla Warfare

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. But somehow, the Mujahideen prevailed against a larger and decisively better equipped foe. No one predicted the Soviet Union would withdraw in defeat in 1989. How did the Mujahideen do it? Afghan Guerrilla Warfare: In the Words of the Mujahideen Fighters explores this question and more. With more than 100 first-hand reports from Mujahideen combat veterans and maps illustrating locations and disposition of forces, this book is a tactical look at a decentralized army of foot-mobile guerrillas as they wage war against a superior force. Experience Mujahideen ambushes, raids, shelling attacks, fights against heliborne insertions, attacks on Soviet strong points, and urban combat in this rare look at the Soviet-Afghan conflict.

Author Ali Ahmad Jalali is a former Afghan Army Colonel schooled in military science in the United States and Britain. He joined the Mujahideen in 1980 and served as the top military planner on the directing staff of the Islamic Unity of Afghan Mujahideen. Lester W. Grau, a Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Army and graduate of the U.S. Army Russian Institute, is a leading source on Russian and Soviet tactics and operations.