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Soviet Union's Afghan Lessons
September 18, 2001

Veterans of the Soviet Union's Afghan war in the 1980s know the perils of waging a war in Afghanistan.

Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan, the British, and finally the Soviet Union all sent their armies into Afghanistan, only to be beaten back.

Soviet forces fought a war against the Mujahadeen that lasted over 10 years in terrain which many veterans say rendered the inhospitable country a virtual fortress.

The war, which began when Soviet forces invaded in 1979, claimed nearly a million Afghan lives and 15,000 Russian troops, with a further 50,000 wounded.

Leo Korolkov, a Russian veteran who trained Soviet special operations units, similar to the U.S. Delta Force and British SAS, told CNN's Jill Dougherty: "Modern weapons, rockets, laser-guided missiles -- they're useless against these mountains.

"I feel sorry for the people who are going to be thrown into those deserted mountainous, regions where the enemy knows every single rock, every cave.

"No maps, no computer training can prepare you for it."

Korolkov says the chances of finding Osama bin Laden are slim because there are numerous places he can hide.

In their protracted war with the Mujahadeen, the Soviet forces faced guerrilla tactics, including ambushes and suicide attacks.
(More Source)
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