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The Afghanistan
War |
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The Mujahideen In this section we will discuss the groups opposing the Soviet 40th army and Afghan forces. These groups, collectively called the Mujahideen, were a varied coalition of loosely allied Afghan factions. Each of which had its own political orientation, which ranged from Islamic fundamentalist, traditionalist, to pro-monarchist. These groups had little strategic cooperation and even fought against eachother on occasion. The only binding thread that held them together was their opposition to the Soviet Army and the Soviet backed Afghan government. This led to limited cooperation on the battlefield. |
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The first of these groups were created after the 1978 April 27 revolution when a large number of the Afghan opposition forces began forming in the border regions near Pakistan. By June of 1981 these groups united to form the Islamic Unity of Afghan Mujahideen. This unity did not last long and by August of 1981 they Mujahideen had split into two major factions; a union of fundamentalist groups known as the "Group of Seven" and an organization of three traditionalist factions known as the "Group of Three". In May of 1985 both groups again united to establish a unified opposition. They were now known as the "Peshawar Seven". The major factions of the "Peshawar Seven" are listed here, along with their leaders, political affiliation, operational region, and military leaders. In some cases a brief description and other useful information will also be listed. |