The Other Side of the Mountain: Mujahideen ... - Tribal Analysis Center

CHAPTER 15
CONCLUSION
"As a nation, we believed that history repeats itself. What
happened in the 19th Century to the invading British would also be
the fate of the Soviet invaders. Philosophically, the Soviets believed
that history is unidirectional, progressive and does not repeat itself.
History did repeat itself and we did prevail."
General Abdul Rahim Wardak
The Mujahideen understood that guerrilla war is a contest of
endurance and national will. Battlefield victory is almost irrelevant,
provided that the guerrilla survives to fight the next of a thousand
battles before passing.the torch to his children. The Mujahideen did
not necessarily expect to win this war but fought because it was the
right thing to do—it was a religious and national obligation. They
accepted an asymmetry of casualties which eventually, but unexpectedly,
led to the Soviet withdrawal.
In many respects, the tactics of the Anglo-Afghan Wars (1839
1842, 1878-1880, 1919) still applied. Technology has added range
and accuracy, but the terrain still dictates tactics and the Mujahideen
were quite comfortable applying their time-honored tactics against a
modern foe. Much more innovation was required from the Soviet
forces. Two modern systems, the helicopter and the antipersonnel
mine, created severe tactical problems which were outside the
Mujahideen historical experience. Tactical innovation occurs only
where tactical innovation is required and the Mujahideen eventually
found ways to work around the problem technology. Where innovation
was not required, the Mujahideen stayed with the tried and true.
Thus the basic Mujahideen ambush and pursuit were little changed
from last century whereas their actions against an air assault or a
fortified security post were quickly developed out of necessity.