FeaturesLearning from <strong>the</strong>Pastthat rendered <strong>the</strong> Soviet bombers useless.The Mujahideen situated <strong>the</strong>mselvessafely within <strong>the</strong> caves, yet were still ableto fire at <strong>the</strong> advanced military airplanesusing Rocket Propelled Grenades (RPG-7s). Warlords placed <strong>the</strong>ir RPG-7-wieldingfighters throughout <strong>the</strong> area and ordered<strong>the</strong>m to fire at any Soviet vehicle.As a result, <strong>the</strong> Soviets were forced toabandon <strong>the</strong>ir planes lest <strong>the</strong>y be shot outof <strong>the</strong> sky and <strong>the</strong>ir High Mobility MultipurposeWheeled Vehicles (HUMVEE)lest <strong>the</strong>y be shot at or blown up by mines.The Mujahideen forced <strong>the</strong> Soviet Unionto descend to <strong>the</strong>ir level to fight – soldierto soldier. By that point in <strong>the</strong> war, <strong>the</strong>Mujahideen knew <strong>the</strong> battlefield too wellto lose. Throughout <strong>the</strong> previous decade,members of <strong>the</strong> Mujahideen carved outcaves and tunnels from <strong>the</strong> mountains.Snipers and soldiers on turrets had beenplaced throughout <strong>the</strong> region. It was in1989 that <strong>the</strong> Soviet Union realized itsinevitable failure in <strong>the</strong> region and had towithdraw.<strong>Afghanistan</strong>’s lawless Tora Bora regionstruggled for years between localleaders who ignored <strong>the</strong> rule of <strong>the</strong> sittinggovernment. As time passed, <strong>the</strong>once united Mujahideen disintegrated.The local warlords individually led <strong>the</strong>newly divided states of <strong>the</strong> Tora Bora.The most notable of <strong>the</strong>se warlords is <strong>the</strong>Saudi-born Osama Bin Laden, leader ofAl-Qaeda. He and his warriors have beenlinked to attacks such as <strong>the</strong> bombing of<strong>the</strong> U.S embassy in Kenya, <strong>the</strong> bombingof <strong>the</strong> USS Cole, and <strong>the</strong> attacks on <strong>the</strong>World Trade Center and <strong>the</strong> Pentagon.After <strong>the</strong> attacks on September 11th,2001, <strong>the</strong> U.S government sent <strong>the</strong> mostqualified soldiers to <strong>the</strong> most troubledregion of <strong>Afghanistan</strong>. The elite SpecialForces Unit, knows as Delta Force, wassent on a mission to capture or kill BinLaden. Along with Delta Force, membystephen paduanoIn recent weeks President BarackObama has met with <strong>the</strong> JointChiefs of Staff to determine <strong>the</strong>fate of <strong>the</strong> United States’ armedforces in <strong>Afghanistan</strong>. The wartorn country is used to foreign militarypresence within its borders. The countryhas been occupied by three of <strong>the</strong> mostpowerful nations of <strong>the</strong> last two hundredyears: <strong>the</strong> United Kingdom, <strong>the</strong> SovietUnion, and <strong>the</strong> United States. In 1839,when <strong>the</strong> UK attempted to establish itsmilitary superiority over <strong>the</strong> RussianEmpire, Afghanis began forming <strong>the</strong>irown militias to fight back, successfullydefending <strong>the</strong>mselves from <strong>the</strong> larger,more powerful United Kingdom.More than a century would passuntil <strong>the</strong> Soviet Union’s failed attemptat supporting a weak Afghan government.The Soviet Union attacked <strong>the</strong>eastern borders of <strong>Afghanistan</strong> to defeat<strong>the</strong> Islamist Mujahideen who ruled over<strong>the</strong> lands with no regard for <strong>the</strong> Afghangovernment. The Soviets deployed <strong>the</strong>irtroops to <strong>Afghanistan</strong> in an attempt tosupport a fellow Marxist regime, whichwas <strong>the</strong> official ruling party of <strong>Afghanistan</strong>at <strong>the</strong> time. However, when one of<strong>the</strong> most powerful and feared countriesof <strong>the</strong> time attempted what should havebeen a quick invasion and occupation,<strong>the</strong> Mujahideen’s lack of power provedfalse. The Soviet Union, unlike <strong>the</strong> Mujahideen,was equipped with cutting edgemilitary technology, with <strong>the</strong> ability to attackvia air and land. The Mujahideen, bycontrast, were stuck in <strong>the</strong> notorious cavecomplex known as <strong>the</strong> Tora Bora. Eventhough Soviet General Secretary MikhailGorbachev deployed nearly 280 militarybombers similar to United States’ C-141crafts, <strong>the</strong> Mujahideen prevailed. The SovietUnion was misled <strong>into</strong> believing that<strong>the</strong> Mujahideen were savages, but <strong>the</strong>yhad actually devised a military strategyPatdollard14HM Review Vol. XIX
FeaturesJanuary 2010 HM Review 15Boston