Afghanistan National Liberation Front (ANLF)—Jebh-e-Nejat-i-Melli Afghanistan}) founded by Sebqhatullah Mojadeddi. The party 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 tracked Soviet-manufactured combat vehicles used to transport soldiers.
Bernau—Czechoslovak M26 light machine gun which fires from a top-loading 20-round magazine. This excellent 7.9mm weapon was developed between World War I and II and was sold abroad as the M30 to China, Yugoslavia and Romania. The British Bren gun is based on the M26 design. The Mujahideen called them 20-shooters.
BM-1—Single barrel 107mm rocket launcher.
BM-12—An obsolete Soviet multiple rocket launcher. The Chinese improved and manufactured it as the Type 63. Most Mujahideen BM-12s were actually Chinese Type 63s. It is ground-mounted, has twelve barrels and fires 107mm rockets to a distance of 8,500 meters. It weighs 611 kilograms.
BM-21—A truck-mounted, 40-tube multiple rocket launcher which fires 122mm rockets to a distance of 20.5 kilometers. The Mujahideen mostly called this the BM-40.
BM-22—A truck-mounted, 16-tube multiple rocket launcher which fires 220mm rockets to a distance of 40 kilometers. The type of rocket warheads include high-explosive fragmentation, chemical, incendiary and remotely delivery mines. The Soviet nickname for this lethal system is Uragan (Hurricane). Western analysts 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 a 73mm cannon, a 7.62mm machine gun and an antitank missile. The BMP-2 carries a 30mm automatic gun and a different antitank missile and launcher.
BRDM—A Soviet four-wheeled armored car used primarily for reconnaissance. It has two auxiliary wheels for extra mobility. In its various 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 carries up to nine men (usually a maximum of seven). It has the same turret as the BMP, so the BMD-1 has the 73mm cannon of the BMP-1 and the BMD-2 has the 30mm automatic gun of the BMP-2. They were widely used by Soviet airborne and air assault force. The Mujahideen called them “commando tanks”.
BTR—A Soviet eight-wheeled armored personnel carrier that can carry up to an 11-man squad. It mounts 14.5mm and 7.62mm machine guns and can carry antitank weapons as well. The BTR and BMP were the most common infantry carriers of the Soviet Forces.
Commander—During the war against the Soviets, the Mujahideen had no rank structure, so the term commander applied to all military 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 government of Afghanistan.
DShK—Soviet-manufactured 12.7mm heavy machine gun. It is. a primary armament on Soviet-manufactured armored vehicles and is effective against ground and air targets. It has a wheeled carriage, tripod and mountain mount for ground and air defense firing. It has rate of fire of 540-600 rounds per minute with a maximum range of 7000 meters and an effective range of 1500 meters against ground targets and 1000 meters against air targets.
Enfield—British-manufactured .303 bolt-action rifle which was the standard British infantry weapon from 1895 through the Korean War. It saw wide service on the North-West Frontier and its long range and powerful cartridge made it a favorite in India and Afghanistan. It has a maximum range of 2550 meters and an effective range of 800 meters. It has a 10-round magazine and can carry an additional round in the chamber, so the Mujahideen called them 11-shooters.
Etehad-e Islami (EIA)—Mujahideen faction led by Abdurab Rasul Sayaf.
Ghar—Pushto term for mountain.
Green zone—Agricultural region of gardens, orchards, fields and vineyards bisected by a network of irrigation ditches. They normally border rivers and some sections of highway and most are practically impassible for vehicles.
Goryunov—The heavy machine gun SGM Stankovy Goryunov Modernizovanniy M-49 was adopted by the Soviet Army during World War II and modernized versions are in service with the Russian Army today. It is a gas-operated, air-cooled, company-level, 7.62mm weapon that has vehicle and ground mounts. It has a rate of fire of 650 round per minute and a maximum range of 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 service for internal and external security, political and military intelligence and counterintelligence. The ISI was responsible for funneling aid to the Mujahideen and providing training to Mujahideen combatants and support personnel.
IRMA—Islamic Revolutionary Movement of Afghanistan of Mawlawi Mohammad Nabi Mohammadi.
Islamic Party (HIH)— (Hezb-e-Islami-Gulbuddin) founded in 1974 to fight the Daoud government. It later split as cofounders Rabanni and Khalis founded their own factions. Its leader, Gulbuddin Hikmatyar is a fundamentalist internationalist. Hikmatyar’s party received more outside aid from Pakistan, the United States and Saudi Arabia than any other party.
Islamic Party (HIK)-(Hezb-e-Islami-Khalis) was founded by Mawlawi Mohammed Yunis Khalis who left Afghanistan for Pakistan in 1973 after the Daoud coup. Khalis is from Nangahar Province. His most famous commanders include Abdul Haq in Kabul and Jalladuddin Hagani of Paktia Province. The party is fundamentalist.
Islamic Revolutionary Movement (IRMA)—(Harakat-e-Inqilab-i-Islami) was founded by Mohammad Nabi Mohammadi. The party is moderate (traditional Islamist).
Islamic Movement (HI)—(Harakat-i Islami) was founded by Ayatollah Asef Muhsini in Iran as a minority Shia faction. The party 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 most famous commanders are Ahmd Shah Masood and Ismail Khan. The party is primarily fundamentalist and dominated by ethnic Tadjiks.
Islamic Union for the Liberation of Afghanistan (IUA)—(Itttihad-i-Islami) was founded by Abd Al-Rab Abdul-Rassul Sayyaf. This used to be called the EIA until 1981. The faction is fundamentalist. In the mid-1980s, they again changed the name 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 AKM Kalashnikovs fire a 7.62mm round while the AK-74 fires a 5.45mm round.
Kandow—Pushto term for mountain pass.
Karez—An Afghanistan system of underground tunnels used for the collection of ground water and for carrying water for surface irrigation. The Mujahideen used them for shelter and ambush.
KHAD—The secret police of the Afghan government responsible for detecting and eradicating domestic political opposition, subverting the mujahideen, penetrating opposition groups abroad and providing military intelligence to the armed forces through its military wing. The KHAD was patterned after the Soviet KGB and GRU and apparently reported to the KGB.
Khalq—(Farsi for masses or people). One of the two communist factions of the PDPA.
KIA—Killed in action.
Kochi—Kochi are nomadic tribesmen of Afghanistan. They live primarily 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 originally the standard regimental mortar for mountain units. It is a reduced size version of the 120mm mortar suitable for transport on a pack animal. It can fire 15 rounds per minute and has a maximum range of 5150 meters firing the heavy round and 6300 meters firing the light round.
Mulla—Islamic religious leader or Imam.
Mosin-Nagant—The Model M1891/30 is a Russian/Soviet bolt-action rifle or carbine which fires the 7.62x54 cartridge. It was used in the Russo-Japanese War, World War I and World War II. Many models come with a folding bayonet. The rifle has a maximum range of 2000 meters and an effective range of 400 meters. The Mujahideen called them five-shooters.
MRL (Multiple rocket launcher)—A ground-mounted or truck-mounted rocket artillery system capable of firing a salvo of rockets at a target.
Mujahideen (holy warrior)—A member of the Afghan resistance.
National Islamic Front of Afghanistan (NIFA)—(Mahaz-e-Melli Islami}). Founded by Pir Sayed Ahmad Gailani, this moderate party attracted a number of former officers from the Afghan Army 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 communist party of Afghanistan.
Pir—Title designating sainthood and leader in the Sufi orders.
PK—Soviet 7.62mm company machine gun which replaced the Goryunov machine gun. It weighs 16.5 kilograms and has an effective range of 1000 meters. The Mujahideen call them 100-shooters since they fire out of a 100 round box of linked ammunition.
POL—Petroleum, oil and lubricants.
Pushtun—The dominant ethnic group (nearly 50%) of Afghanistan who speak Páshtu. The British historically referred to these people as Pathans.
Qawm—The basic subnational Afghan identify based on kinship, residence and sometimes occupation.
Ramadan—The Islamic holy month of fasting.
RDM—Remotely delivered mines. Mines which can be emplaced by aviation, artillery or MRL fire.
RPG-7—Soviet manufactured shoulder-fired antitank weapon which fires a shaped-charge rocket. It has an effective range of 300 meters.
RPG-18—Soviet manufactured single-shot, shoulder-fired antitank weapon which fires a 66mm shaped-charge rocket. The rocket is stored in an extendable storage tube which also functions as a launcher. The launcher is thrown away after use. It has an effective range of 135 meters and is a copy of the USM72A2 LAW.
Sagar—Egyptian 107mm or 122mm MRL. It has one, two, three and four-barrel light-weight launchers. The 107mm (Sagar 20) has a maximum range of 8000 meters and the 122mm (Sagar 30) has á maximum range of 10,800 meters. The 107mm model was more common in Afghanistan. Some Mujahideen state that they had special rounds which enabled the Sagar to reach 20 kilometers and the Sagar 30 to reach 30 kilometers. Sagar means “eagle” in Egyptian.
Sarandoy—DRA Ministry of the Interior armed forces, a heavily armed police force. They were organized into six brigades or regiments (numbering about 60,000 men) and were based in Kandahar, Badakhstan, Baghlan and Paravan provinces plus two in Kabul. The Sarandoy had an additional estimated 6,000 men in operational and mountain battalions.
Shaheed—Martyr. The plural is shaheedan or shuhada.
Shia—The minority Islamic community in Afghanistan following the Imami Shiism (the dominant faith in neighboring Iran) or Ismaili Shiism.
SKS—(Samozaryadiy karabin Simonova) gas-operated semi-automatic Soviet carbine with a folding bayonet. It has a ten-shot magazine and fires the 7.62x39 cartridge to a maximum range of 1000 meters with a 400 meter effective range. The first models were fielded in 1931 and it was a standard weapon of the Soviet Army during World War II through the early 1950s. The Mujahideen simply called them carbines.
SOP—Standard operating procedures.
Spetsnaz—Soviet forces trained for long-range reconnaissance, commando and special forces type combat.
Sufi—A mystic branch of Islam with considerable influence in Afghanistan. Sufis are more widespread among Sunnis.
Sunni—The majority Islamic community in Afghanistan. Over two-thirds of the populace are Sunnis, followers of the Hanafi School.
Tadjik—Ethnic Afghans from the northeastern regions of Afghanistan who make up about 25% of the population.
Tsadar—All-purpose cloth that Afghans carry and wear. It serves as a ground cloth, sleeping bag, camouflage covering, bundle wrap and shroud.
Uzbek—Ethnic Afghans primarily in the north central part of Afghanistan who make up 10% of the population and speak Turkic.
WIA—Wounded in Action.
ZGU—(Zenitnaya gornaya ustanovka) Mountain air defense weapons mount. Any Soviet air defense weapon that can disassembled for transport into the mountains by pack animals or porters. Usually this means that the weapons mount or pedestal has no wheels.
ZGU-1 —A ZPU-1 mounted on a ZGU mount.
ZPU-1-A Soviet 14.5mm ground-mounted antiaircraft machine gun which is towed on a light, two-wheeled carriage. The system is built around a single-barreled KPV heavy machine gun which has a cyclic rate of fire of 600 rounds per minute and a practical rate of fire of 150 rounds per minute. The belt-fed machine gun feeds from a 150 round box and has a maximum horizontal range of 7000 meters and a maximum effective antiaircraft range 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 four 23mm machine guns simultaneously. The Soviets used this weapon for counter ambushes and in the destruction of ground targets.