Mujahideen Tactics in the Soviet-Afghan War - Bennett Park Raiders

CHAPTER 10
DEFENDING AGAINST A CORDON AND SEARCH
The Soviets preferred large cordon and search operations to deal
with large zones of Mujahideen-dominated territory. They would
cordon off the area using dominant terrain, roads and rivers as
boundaries. Then they would push forces through the area looking
for weapons, stores and Mujahideen. The Soviets often used DRA
forces to do the actual searching. The DRA usually combined taxation
and press-gang conscription with the search. At first, the
Mujahideen were vulnerable to these large-scale operations but then
they learned to build fortifications throughout the zones, coordinate
their defense, constitute a reserve and exact a" toll'on the searchers.