The Soviet Union relied heavily on the deployment of Central Asian soldiers during the Soviet-Afghan War. Yet, this army’s role has often been overshadowed by narratives that depict them as unreliable or peripheral. Recent scholarship, however, has begun to highlight the complexities and significance of their involvement. Building on this emerging perspective, this paper draws on archival materials and translated interviews to examine the role of Central Asian soldiers in Soviet military operations in Afghanistan. More broadly, it explores what their involvement tells us about the Soviet counterinsurgency efforts.