Afghanistan

Islamic Republic of Afghanistan

Much of the territory now known as Afghanistan was known as Khorasan during the Middle Ages and into the 19th century. Much of the region has been traditionally inhabited by tribal cultures, with their own distinctive languages, customs and spiritual values, although there were some major cities such as Herat and Balkh. The region was overrun by Mongols during the 13th century, marking the beginning of several centuries of dynasties and contending powers vying for control of the territories.

European attempts to gain control of Central Asia during the 18th and 19th centuries were largely unsuccessful in Afghanistan. The First Anglo–Afghan War (1839-1842) resulted in a highly unstable occupation and eventual withdrawal by British forces after heavy losses. Russia gradually advanced into the region over the next thirty years, but in 1878 Great Britain again invaded, sparking the Second Anglo-Afghan War (1878-1880). By terms of the Treaty of Gandamak, Britain was granted control of Afghan foreign affairs in exchange for protection, but the Afghans retained control of their internal sovereignty. The Third Anglo-Afghan War (6 May to 8 August 1919) resulted in an armistice and the resumption of control over their own foreign affairs to the Afghans.

Although unaligned to either the United States or the Soviet Union during the Cold War, both nations vied for political influence from the 1950s to late 1970s. In April 1978, the Saur Revolution resulted in a political takeover of the government by the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) after President Mohammad Daoud Khan was assassinated. A socialist agenda and radical modernization of traditional Islamic and tribal laws were adopted and support by the Soviet Union encouraged. By spring of 1979 large portions of the country were in open rebellion against the government and significant numbers of Afghan soldiers deserted to fight with the Afghan Mujahideen. At the request of the PDPA government, Soviet military units began entering Afghanistan on 31 October 1979, leading to a ten year occupation and the Soviet War in Afghanistan (1979-1989). Aided by several nations, particularly the United States, the various Mujahideen factions waged a relentless guerilla war against the Soviet and the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan (DRA) armed forces. Suffering heavy losses, a demoralized Soviet Army ultimately withdrew from Afghanistan between January 1987 and February 1989, leaving the government and infrastructure of Afghanistan in shambles.

A civil war then raged in Afghanistan from 1989 to 1992, pitting the forces of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan against the Mujahideen forces. The Afghan government began to collapse in April 1992, and the nation became the Islamic State of Afghanistan for the next several years, but there was little stability as the remaining Mujahideen factions (supported by Iran, Pakistan and Uzbekistan) continued to wage war in an effort to wrest complete control of the country.

The Taliban (طالبان) siezed control of Kabul in September of 1996 (aided by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and the assistance of independent Arab sources), creating the Taliban Emirate. In reaction, two former rival leaders combined their forces into the United Front (Northern Alliance), and waged its own guerilla war against the Taliban. Following the terrorist attacks in the United States on 11 September 2001, the USA led a coalition of nations to invade the country, ostensibly to hunt down Osama Bin Laden and destroy the Al-Qaeda training facilities believed to exist in Afghanistan. Working with the Northern Alliance, coalition forces toppled the Taliban regime, and became embroiled in the Afghanistan War, part of which was known as Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), which was officially declared over in 2014. From 2002 onwards, the country was declared the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (د افغانستان اسلامي جمهوریت), and was reputedly in the process of being rebuilt along progressive, Western standards. However, the conflict with Taliban insurgents continued unabetted for twenty years, as more and more coalition personnel withdrew from the country, leading to final withdrawal of all NATO troops (including Americans) beginning in May 2021. Following a major Taliban offensive in summer 2021, the Taliban once again seized control of the majority of the country, including power centers such as Kabul, leaving many Afghans in a desperate scramble to leave the country. By August 16/17 2021, a "Coordination Council" began the process of transferring all national assets and power to the Taliban. Even as this transition began, a new coalition of anti-Taliban combatants (the Panjshir Resistance, or National Resistance Front of Afghanistan) was forged in the Panjshir, Parwan, and Baghlan provinces of the country, claiming to represent the government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, and vowing to wage a new war against the Taliban.

Formed under Coalition guidance, the armed forces of Afghanistan consisted of the Afghan National Army (ANA) and the Afghan National Air Force (ANAF). Paramilitary forces included the Afghan National Police (ANP) and the Afghan Border Police. Dedicated special operations units existed within most branches. The newly formed Taliban government remains in the transition stages and cannot be said to have control of a properly trained and dedicated armed force.

Afghanistan has never had a thriving textile industry, so most of its military uniforms were either imported or locally-produced from imported fabrics. Camouflage is no exception. Originally the province of commando and airborne units, camouflage is now commonplace among all units of the ANA. Most contemporary uniforms are imported from Chinese factories and constructed to professional standards.

Camouflage Patterns of Afghanistan

• One of the oldest documented camouflage patterns issued to Afghan troops is a tricolor "blotch" design, similar in many aspects to the old Italian Army m1929 telo mimetico. These were worn by the Commando brigades from 1974 into the 1980s, and produced locally from fabric printed in-country.

• From the late 1980s to early 1990s, Soviet-style uniforms in the 1980 TTsKO tricolor pattern were provided to some Afghan units by the Soviet Union.

• DRA Commandos of the early 1980s wore a derivative of the duck hunter camouflage design seen here. Although locally-made, the fabric itself was printed in the Soviet Union for export.

• From 1985 to the mid-1990s, Afghan Commando brigades wore uniforms made from imported Bulgarian splinter pattern camouflage fabric.

• For a brief period, the Jamiat-I-Islami mujaheddin (anti-Communist insurgents) wore uniforms made from imported Pakistani brushstroke fabric. They did not retain the uniforms long, however, as it was determined the wearing of camouflage created too great a likelihood of being mistaken for Soviet or Afghan government troops.

• From the mid-1990s until the Taliban government toppled in 2001, a variety of camouflage patterns could be found scattered amongst Afghan government troops. Most of these were locally-produced to Afghan standards from fabrics imported from Pakistan, China or Iran. The brown duck hunter spot pattern seen below is believed to have been worn by both Taliban government and Northern Alliance combatants.

• Another pattern found among the Taliban forces is this leaf design imported from Pakistan.

• The DPM camouflage variant seen here also dates to the Taliban era. Also produced from imported fabric, although in this case very good quality.

• The woodland camouflage pattern seen here was probably sourced through Iran. Probably dating to the Taliban era, it is likely remaining stocks of uniforms and fabric remained in use with the newly formed ANA.

• The Northern Alliance were supported and supplied by several Western sources. Although outfitted with whatever gear was available, this lizard pattern was quite prolific with the group in 2001 when the Taliban regime was overthrown. Uniforms in this pattern were imported from China.

• Another well-documented camouflage pattern worn by the Northern Alliance is this duck hunter spot pattern seen here. The uniforms were made in China.

• The newly formed Afghan National Army (ANA) was short on supplies for several years, and received assistance from both coalition member nations and friendly neighbors like Iran. The woodland camouflage pattern seen here is one such Iranian-sourced design.

• Another Iranian pattern issued to some new Afghan units is the four-color woodland design seen here. This may have been issued to National Police or Border Guard units, rather than Army personnel.

• For several years, the standard camouflage pattern of the ANA was a copy of the US m81 woodland design. There were several sources for these uniforms, including surplus BDUs from the USA, imported Chinese BDUs, and locally-produced copies made from imported fabrics. Seen below are three variants, illustrating patterns from all three sources. Over time, the woodland pattern would be replaced by other designs, except for the elite ANA Commando Corps which continued to use it until the regime change in 2021.

• In addition, the US designed tricolor desert pattern has also been worn by some units of the ANA and the Ministry of Interior. Again, the uniforms were probably sourced both from the USA and Chinese exporters. Circa 2013, the pattern was adopted by the Crisis Response Unit (CRU) of the Afghan Police.

• One of the coalition nations that contributed a large quantity of uniforms and equipment to the fledgling ANA was Turkey. The "elongated leaf" pattern was found in significant numbers among ANA members for several years.

• Certain special units of the Afghan Security Forces were outfitted in commercially-produced desert tiger stripe pattern uniforms, a pattern developed and copyrighted by the American company Tiger Stripe Products©. These uniforms were provided by American instructors and advisors beginning around 2002, although many uniforms were locally-tailored or modified to meet operational specifications popular with special operations. Notable use of the desert tiger stripe pattern was made by the National Security Directorate (NDS) and the Afghan Partner Unit (APU), also known as the 1st Ktah Khas Regiment or simply the KKA. The latter unit was a national counter-terrorist element modeled on the US Army's CAG, and trained by elements of the US Army Ranger Regiment.

• Trained and equipped by US Army Special Forces, the Afghan Security Forces (ASF) were issued special uniforms in the USMC MARPAT temperate camouflage pattern around 2002. The ASF were later amalgamated into the ANA. This pattern was later re-adopted and has been retained by the National Interdiction Unit of the Afghan Police.

• An agreement with the Polish Minister of National Defense in 2008 provided the ANA with 3000 ex-Polish Army issue wz. 89 Puma camouflage pattern field jackets with liners.

• The Afghan Border Police were issued a grey "chocolate chip" desert pattern very similar to that also found in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE. A variation of this pattern, with shades of blue rather than grey in it, has also been documented.

• A number of specialized units were also issued uniforms in a commercial tiger stripe patterns commonly found in the USA. These designs have a much darker color palette than any of the tiger patterns developed and printed during the Vietnam War. Use of these designs was seen by a special anti-terrorist unit of the Afghan National Police, the National Security Directorate (NDS), and the Ktah Khas or KKA of the Armed Forces (aka, the Afghan Partner Unit).

• Special units of the Afghan Police are being issued copies of the US-made Multicam design.

• In 2008-2009, the ANA began to issue its own pixelated camouflage design, designed by Hyperstealth Industries and named "Spec4ce Afghan Forest" pattern. The ANA pattern incorporates black, brown & grass green on a light olive green background. Initial batches of these uniforms were made in China, but subsequently the Afghanistan garment industry has assumed responsibility for producing most military uniforms for the Afghan Armed Forces.

• The Afghan National Civil Order Police (ANCOP) have been issued with their own arid/desert camouflage design, also developed by Hyperstealth Industries and known as "Spec4ce Sierra" pattern. This design consists of medium brown, lichen green, and khaki shapes on a light tan/sand-colored background.

• Circa 2012, the Public Protection Forces (a local militia program designed to provide localized security for isolated villages) began wearing a pixelated camouflage design essentially copied from the USMC MARPAT design. The colors in some cases are not quite perfectly copied, and no doubt the fabric is imported from Asia.

• The Public Protection Forces also wear a unique pixelated pattern seen here.

• Special units of the National Security Directorate (NDS) or Amaniyat ریاست امنیت ملی, have worn several camouflage designs, including the dark tiger stripe, desert tiger stripe, and the ERDL or leaf pattern derivative seen here. The design incorporates black, dark brown, and light brown shapes on a tan or sand-colored background.

• The 1st Ktah Khas (Afghan Special Force), also initially referred to as the Afghan Partner Unit (APU), was a special operations/anti-terrorist unit that worked closely with Tier 1 units of the US Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC). The 1st KKA received initial training from units of the US Army Ranger Regiment serving with Task Force 3-10. In early 2012, this unit adopted the Ghostex Kilo-1 pattern, developed by Hyperstealth Industries.

• The pixelated camouflage design seen here is worn by some special units of the Ministry of the Interior, including the Parliamentary Guards.

• The camouflage design seen here has been documented in use by some private contract security companies working in Afghanistan, including KTC. The pattern may also be in use by other organizations or branches of the Afghan Armed Forces.

• This dark tiger stripe camouflage design appeared on some Afghan government forces in early August 2021.

• This three-color camouflage design, probably the same design as worn by the Nigerian Air Force in the 2010s, also appeared among Afghan government forces in August 2021.