Mujahideen

From Turtledove

Mujahideen is a term for Muslims fighting in a war or involved in any other struggle. The best-known mujahideen were the various loosely-aligned Afghani opposition groups that fought against the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan during the 1980s. These fighters were known as dukhi ("ghosts") to the Soviets. One such group was witness to the awakening of a dragon in a battle with the Red Army. That dragon then incinerated the Soviet troops.