The Anti-Coalition Militia (ACM) were Taliban-allied Afghan militia forces who took part in the Taliban and al-Qaeda insurgency against the United States-allied Afghan government during the Afghanistan War. According to a 2003 US intelligence report, "The term ACM is used in a generic sense, except in cases where it is important to denote capabilities or procedures of specific elements such as Taliban, al-Qaida, or other forces operating in Afghanistan." The ACM adopted the Mujahideen of the Soviet-Afghan War's tactics, including small-scale harassment ambushes and larger-scale resupply ambushes. Unarmed men such as shepherds, farmers, and children were used by the ACM as observers (typically three to four at a time), and other elements of an ambush included a firing element, an alert element (to hinder the withdrawal of ambushed forces), and a reserve element. The 2003 US intelligence report recommended advance reconnaissance patrols, helicopter support, and the avoiding of predictable and set patterns of movement. The Zadran tribe was well known for producing excellent marksmen, and al-Qaeda also provided skilled sharpshooters; however, average ACM fighters appeared to lack fire discipline in combat situations. The ACM used boulders, shadows, blankets, cloaks, and other innovative means to avoid detection, snipers used underground water canals to move from one position to another, rewards were offered for the killing or capture of Coalition personnel, the ACM utilized very loose command and control tactics. The ACM often launched night raids against fixed installations and airfields, later disappearing into caves and tunnels. The ACM's tactical capabilities included the use of spider holes, caves, rocks, decoys for equipment and positions, camouflage, blending with the civilian population, dispersing into small units, travelling over hard or rocky surfaces to avoid tracks, moving under cover of darkness, using commercial vehicles (such as delivery trucks and ambulances) to move fighters or supplies, dampening ground in firing positions to reduce dust signatures, and starting fires to create false targets for thermal sensors.
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