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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), which 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, but have been
embroiled in the Afghanistan War since. Afghanistan is today officially known
as the Islamic Republic of Afgahnistan (د افغانستان اسلامي جمهوریت), and is in the
process of being rebuilt along progressive, Western standards.
The armed forces of Afghanistan consist of the Afghan National Army (ANA)
and the Afghan National Air Force (ANAF). Paramilitary forces include the
National Police and the Afghan Border Police.
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.
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. The origins of this pattern are unknown,
although it is likely the uniforms were made from fabric imported from one of
the neighboring Asian nations.
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 Northern Alliance on Wikipedia 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.
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.
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.
Some special units of the Afghan forces were outfitted in commercially
produced desert tiger stripe pattern uniforms, probably provided by their
American instructors/advisors circa 2002. The pattern continues to be worn
by the National Security Directorate (NDS).
Some units of the ANA were also issued special uniforms in the USMC MARPAT
temperate camouflage pattern around 2002.
The Afghan Border Police have most recently been issued the grey "chocolate
chip" desert pattern found in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE.
A special anti-terrorist unit of the Afghan National Police have been issued
uniforms in the same commercial tiger stripe pattern commonly found in the
USA. The pattern is also worn by the National Security Directorate (NDS).
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 also been issued with
their own pixelated desert camouflage design, having medium brown, yellow
tan, and khaki on a light tan 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 pattern seen below (possibly of Pakistani origin).
The Afghan Partner Unit (APU), a special operations unit that reputedly works
closely with Tier 1 units of the US Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC),
adopted the Ghostex Kilo-1 pattern, developed by Hyperstealth Industries, in
early 2012.
The pixelated camouflage design seen here is worn by some special units of
the Ministry of the Interior, including the Parliamentary Guards.
Afghanistan - Camopedia
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), which 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, but have been
embroiled in the Afghanistan War since. Afghanistan is today officially known
as the Islamic Republic of Afgahnistan (د افغانستان اسلامي جمهوریت), and is in the
process of being rebuilt along progressive, Western standards.
The armed forces of Afghanistan consist of the Afghan National Army (ANA)
and the Afghan National Air Force (ANAF). Paramilitary forces include the
National Police and the Afghan Border Police.
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.
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. The origins of this pattern are unknown,
although it is likely the uniforms were made from fabric imported from one of
the neighboring Asian nations.
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 Northern Alliance on Wikipedia 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.
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.
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.
Some special units of the Afghan forces were outfitted in commercially
produced desert tiger stripe pattern uniforms, probably provided by their
American instructors/advisors circa 2002. The pattern continues to be worn
by the National Security Directorate (NDS).
Some units of the ANA were also issued special uniforms in the USMC MARPAT
temperate camouflage pattern around 2002.
The Afghan Border Police have most recently been issued the grey "chocolate
chip" desert pattern found in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE.
A special anti-terrorist unit of the Afghan National Police have been issued
uniforms in the same commercial tiger stripe pattern commonly found in the
USA. The pattern is also worn by the National Security Directorate (NDS).
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 also been issued with
their own pixelated desert camouflage design, having medium brown, yellow
tan, and khaki on a light tan 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 pattern seen below (possibly of Pakistani origin).
The Afghan Partner Unit (APU), a special operations unit that reputedly works
closely with Tier 1 units of the US Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC),
adopted the Ghostex Kilo-1 pattern, developed by Hyperstealth Industries, in
early 2012.
The pixelated camouflage design seen here is worn by some special units of
the Ministry of the Interior, including the Parliamentary Guards.
Afghanistan - Camopedia
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