Afghanistan Mujahadeen

Tactics, Techniques, &

Procedures

UNCLASSIFIED

Objective
Action:

Identify the Tactics, Techniques,

and Procedures used by Mujahadeen in
Afghanistan.
Conditions: Given student handouts
Standards: Identified the Tactics,
Techniques, and Procedures used by
Mujahadeen in Afghanistan.

Administrative
There
The

are no safety requirements.

risk assessment level is low.

There

are no environmental considerations

Evaluations

Student Checks

Topics
Maneuver
Fire Support
Air Defense
Command & Control
Mobility & Counter-

mobility
Logistics
Denial & Deception

Maneuver
Ambush
Harassment

2 to 15 personnel
Small scale
Rapid withdrawal

Resupply

Require more personnel

Up

to 150

Looting
W eapons
Food
Munitions

Maneuver
Ambush Teams

Observers
Firing Element
Alert Element
Reserve Element

Radio or visual

communications
3 Lines

Fire Element
Commo Element
Command Element

Maneuver
Ambush Locations

Entrance/exit of canyon
Behind earthen walls
Early morning or

evening
Hit convoys on return
trips
Hit rapid reaction forces

Maneuver
Ambush Lessons

Learned
Advance recon patrols
are necessary
Helicopter support is
essential
Avoid predictable
patterns
Communicate with
replacements

Maneuver
Sniper Operations

Lack of well-trained Muj

shooters
Al

Qaeda marksmanship
is generally good

Will use canals to move

Catch targets in
crossfire
Use of bounties
Helicopter

popular

crews are

Maneuver
Raids
Generally against

isolated outposts
Probe for weaknesses
Gather forces covertly
Prefer

cover of night

Attack the objective

Seize needed supplies
Withdraw before
counterattack

Maneuver
Individual & Small

Team Tactics
Probe and assess
reactions/patterns
Airfield Raids

Influenced by Soviet war

Propaganda value
Shelling Attacks

Will attack civilians to

prove Govts inability to
protect them

Maneuver
Mujahadeen Tactics

Fire and move

Reduce signatures
Delayed fuse rockets
Survivability is key
Use of mines
Blend in with population

Maneuver
Mountain Defense &

Ambushes
Caves and tunnels
Used since Mongol
invasion
Prepared defenses

Used to attract attacks

Ambush

Limited routes
Attack on return
Use of air support

Maneuver
Urban Ambush and

Bombs
Cover for action

Homes
Businesses
Mosques
Govt buildings

Multiple IED attack

Kanhadhar

Max casualties

Maneuver
Hostile House-Clearing

6-10 team
Ak-47, hand grenade
Room to room
Single location

Hostage Taking

Tradition technique
Front, rear vehicles
Box vehicle
Kill guard/driver
Subdue abductee
Exit scene

Maneuver
Armor

Small number assets

Primarily defensive
T-54, T-55, T-62
May still possess
Fortified/stationary
position
Dug in defensive
position
Hard to spot
Alters signatures
Sensor-fused weapons
hard to target

Maneuver

Infantry Anti-tank Weapons

Used as multipurpose direct
fire weapons
Used on aircraft
Used as crude mortar
Used to destroy buildings or
bunkers
Improvised off-route mine
Breach minefields
Used against light
armored/soft-skinned
vehicles

Maneuver
Recoilless Rifles

90mm
No

info on use

B10 82mm
Not

seen in
engagements
Large amounts of ammo
found

SPG-9 73mm
B-10 82-mm Recoilless Rifle

Often

fired on shoulder

Maneuver

Rocket-Propelled
Grenades
Anti-armor weapon
Used against helicopter
Firing signature

Tactics
W etting ground
Track flight patterns
Higher elevation
Teams

Countermeasures
Physical
Tactical

Fire Support
Mortars

Primary support weapon

Team leaves mortar set up
High elevations

82 mm mortar

Primary indirect weapon

120 mm mortar

Used, not preferred

60 mm mortar

Found, not used

Fire Support
Rockets

No organized units
High elevation
Crude, expedient launch
Harassment fire
Cities and bases targets

107 mm rocket

Crude time delay firing

122 mm rocket

Expedient aiming methods

Fire Support
Artillery

Employ
unconventionally
Control of warlords
Not employed against
coalition forces
122mm D-3 Howitzer

Most plentiful prior to air

attacks in 2001

Air Defense
MANPADS

Limited numbers may

still exist in theater
Work in pairs or small
groups
Attempt to use higher
elevation (warmer
months)
Take off or landing
Along take off or landing
path

Command & Control

C2

Use of commercial VHF

radios
Tactical leaders use,
higher levels use
operator
Probable satellite
telephone use
Couriers
Challenge and
Password system
Arabic
Dari/Pashtu

Command & Control

Intelligence and

Reconnaissance
Human intelligence and
dissemination
Family,

friends, tribal

leaders

Commercial radio
scanners
Know the area
Attacks to observe
countermeasures

Command & Control

Checkpoints

Traditional fundraising
function under Taliban
Tribal leaders or
warlords may keep
unofficial tolls to a
minimum
Unofficial checkpoints
usually do not hamper
coalition operations

Mobility & Counter-Mobility

Mine Threat

5 million uncleared
Urban and rural areas
Iran/Pakistan borders
mined
Markings
Indicators

Mobility & Counter-Mobility

Improvised Explosive

Devices/Booby Traps
Coupling
Daisy Chain
Up

to 200 meters

Boosting
Sensitizing
Timed delay
Vehicle borne

Logistics
Caravan and Convoy

Use to bring in supplies

At night
Vehicles, livestock
Canyons, caves, dry
riverbeds, green zones
Advance team
Decoy team
Main element

Logistics
Caches

Throughout AF
In operational area
Small to large
Caves, houses, possibly
commercial or
government facilities
May use guards
Many
individual/households
have small cache for
self-defense purposes

Denial & Deception

Understanding

Signatures
Basic knowledge of
D&D
Understand difference
between night-vision
and thermal sensors
Information to my
Afghani Mujahideen
Brothers
Spiderholes, tarps,
blankets

Denial & Deception

Thermal Decoys

Wood fire in shallow pits

Look like person or
vehicle
Method to deceive radar
with rocks and pieces of
metal approximating
size of vehicle

Questions?