mujahideen
plural noun
mu·ja·hid·een mü-ˌjä-hi-ˈdēn 
mu̇-,
-ˌja-
variants or mujahedin or less commonly mujahedeen
: Islamic guerrilla fighters especially in the Middle East
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web During his nomadic years after prison, Zawahiri traveled frequently to South Asia and increasingly found common cause with the mujahideen and with bin Laden himself, who came to rely on the Egyptian as his personal physician. 
Joby Warrick, Washington Post, 1 Aug. 2022 Zawahiri’s steadiness in rendering aid in the face of Soviet bombardment in Afghanistan cemented the doctor’s reputation among the mujahideen, as well as a lifelong friendship with bin Laden. Joby Warrick, Washington Post, 1 Aug. 2022 The official drew a comparison to U.S. support for the anti-Soviet mujahideen fighting in Afghanistan in the 1980s. Washington Post, 18 Mar. 2022 This was a key tactic in allowing the Afghanistan mujahideen to defeat the Soviet Union in the 1980s. James Stavridis, Time, 11 Apr. 2022 Much of the early assistance to the mujahideen came in the form of small arms, such as rifles, with antiaircraft Stinger missiles arriving only after years of combat. Washington Post, 1 Apr. 2022 During the Soviet war in Afghanistan, for example, the United States supplied the mujahideen with arms but did not send in any armed forces (other than intelligence agents). John Yoo, National Review, 19 Mar. 2022 And in the Afghan war against the Soviets, the mujahideen — Islamic fighters backed by the United States — were famously given Stinger missiles that had a huge impact by bringing down Soviet helicopter gunships that dominated the skies. Jason Fields, The Week, 8 Mar. 2022 The Haqqanis trace their roots to the Soviet Cold War occupation of the 1980s and the Afghan mujahideen struggle to liberate their nation. Washington Post, 3 Sep. 2021 See More
Joby Warrick, Washington Post, 1 Aug. 2022 Zawahiri’s steadiness in rendering aid in the face of Soviet bombardment in Afghanistan cemented the doctor’s reputation among the mujahideen, as well as a lifelong friendship with bin Laden. Joby Warrick, Washington Post, 1 Aug. 2022 The official drew a comparison to U.S. support for the anti-Soviet mujahideen fighting in Afghanistan in the 1980s. Washington Post, 18 Mar. 2022 This was a key tactic in allowing the Afghanistan mujahideen to defeat the Soviet Union in the 1980s. James Stavridis, Time, 11 Apr. 2022 Much of the early assistance to the mujahideen came in the form of small arms, such as rifles, with antiaircraft Stinger missiles arriving only after years of combat. Washington Post, 1 Apr. 2022 During the Soviet war in Afghanistan, for example, the United States supplied the mujahideen with arms but did not send in any armed forces (other than intelligence agents). John Yoo, National Review, 19 Mar. 2022 And in the Afghan war against the Soviets, the mujahideen — Islamic fighters backed by the United States — were famously given Stinger missiles that had a huge impact by bringing down Soviet helicopter gunships that dominated the skies. Jason Fields, The Week, 8 Mar. 2022 The Haqqanis trace their roots to the Soviet Cold War occupation of the 1980s and the Afghan mujahideen struggle to liberate their nation. Washington Post, 3 Sep. 2021 See More Word History
Etymology
Arabic mujāhidīn, plural of mujāhid, literally, person who wages jihad
First Known Use
1887, in the meaning defined above