2001 War in Afghanistan

81/82 mm Mortar in the 2001 War in Afghanistan

U.S. Marine and Afghan government forces used or sustained 81 mm and 82 mm mortar systems for indirect fire, training, checkpoint protection, and support to Afghan security operations.

Weapon profile81/82 mm mortar
SideUnited States, NATO, and Afghan government forcesRoleFire SupportForce Protection
81/82 mm mortar, 81/82 mm crew-served medium mortar, Artillery - 2001 War in Afghanistan
Image source: M252 mortar.jpg

Evidence Map

ClaimSources
Afghan National Army soldiers trained with M37 82 mm mortars at Camp Shorabak in March 2014.

Sources: ANA Mortars and Demolition Training

Afghan Border Police 82 mm mortars were sustained for patrol and border-control checkpoint missions in the FY 2016 ASFF request.

Sources: FY 2016 ASFF Request

U.S. Marines with Task Force Southwest used an M252 81 mm mortar system in a May 2018 fire mission supporting Afghan security forces in Helmand Province.

Sources: Camp Shorab M252 Fire Mission

Timeline

81/82 mm mortar In 2001 War in Afghanistan

  1. Afghan National Army 82 mm mortar training reported

    DVIDS reported that Afghan National Army soldiers with the 7th Kandak, 215th Corps trained at Camp Shorabak with M37 82 mm mortars during a four-week basic mortarman course.

    Sources: ANA Mortars and Demolition Training

  2. Afghan Border Police 82 mm mortar sustainment funded

    The Afghanistan Security Forces Fund request included Class IX sustainment for Afghan Border Police 82 mm mortars and linked the need to increased patrols and border-control checkpoints.

    Sources: FY 2016 ASFF Request

  3. U.S. Marines fire M252 81 mm mission at Camp Shorab

    Public-domain captioning documented Task Force Southwest Marines aligning an M252 81 mm mortar system during a fire mission supporting Afghan security forces in Helmand Province.

    Sources: Camp Shorab M252 Fire Mission

Documented Use

Direct proof of use

Documented 81/82 mm mortar use in the 2001 War in Afghanistan appears in coalition and Afghan-government contexts. In March 2014, DVIDS reported that Afghan National Army soldiers from the 7th Kandak, 215th Corps trained at Camp Shorabak with the M37 82 mm mortar, including live training against ground targets at ranges from 100 meters to more than 5,000 meters.

A U.S. Army FY 2016 Afghanistan Security Forces Fund justification separately funded Afghan Border Police 82 mm mortar sustainment, tying the requirement to increased patrols and border-control checkpoints. In May 2018, public-domain imagery from Camp Shorab documented U.S. Marines with Task Force Southwest aligning an M252 81 mm mortar system during a fire mission that supported Afghan National Defense and Security Forces operations in Helmand Province.

Sources: ANA Mortars and Demolition Training, FY 2016 ASFF Request, Camp Shorab M252 Fire Mission

Timeline

The open-source record shows Afghan National Army 82 mm mortar training by early 2014, Afghan Border Police sustainment funding in the FY 2016 request cycle, and a U.S. Marine M252 81 mm fire mission at Camp Shorab in May 2018. These points document both Afghan-force mortar capability and coalition-operated 81 mm indirect fire late in the war.

The cited sources do not identify every 81/82 mm mortar model used in Afghanistan; they support specific M37 82 mm, Afghan Border Police 82 mm, and M252 81 mm examples.

Sources: ANA Mortars and Demolition Training, FY 2016 ASFF Request, Camp Shorab M252 Fire Mission

Operational role

For Afghan government units, the mortar role was tied to infantry support and local force protection. The Camp Shorabak training report described mortarmen as giving Afghan soldiers a way to engage enemy firing positions at distance, while the ASFF budget text linked Afghan Border Police 82 mm mortar sustainment to patrols and border-control checkpoints.

For U.S. Marines in Helmand, the documented M252 81 mm mission was an enabling fire-support mission for Afghan National Defense and Security Forces during continued combat operations. The evidence supports indirect-fire support and force-protection roles rather than a single named factory model across the whole 81/82 mm mortar family.

Sources: ANA Mortars and Demolition Training, FY 2016 ASFF Request, Camp Shorab M252 Fire Mission

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Sources