Afghan

Afghan is a multiplayer map in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. It is set around an accessible C-130 Hercules crash site in the middle of a desert canyon in Afghanistan. The East and West areas feature cliffs and bunkers, perfect for snipers. A cave inside the mountain is often filled with intense close range battle, the large entrance to the cave being a great spot for overlooking the plane crash below. Around the other side of the mountain, there is a pathway that leads from the bunker, around the back of the cave to the high-up ledge. This path is great for flanking your opponents, alongside the pathway through the bunker and across the fields planted with opium poppies.

Due to its circular walkways and design patterns, every place has two or more flanking routes, making it perfect for team deathmatch, it cuts out 'campers' too as staying prone or staying stationary will get you killed, being mobile and aiming down sights round corners gives you the edge on this map. However, there is a solution to these flanking routes in one of the most open and undefended places on the map.

Tactics
All edges of this rocky, desert wasteland are fairly defendable, but the open and narrow avenues make it easy for even an entire team to become pinned down. Even the very center of the map offers effective multidirectional cover inside the enclosed openings of the C-130 wreckage, but again, advancing between positions of cover or even getting to them after a respawn can be impossible if any of the map's overwatch positions are taken by enemies. The map is therefore structured to reward the player(s) that take patient advantage of the best overwatch positions and wait for their opponent to dart from their cover; however, as all overwatch positions have a number of directions for enemies to come up behind them, it is essential to ensure that your teammates are always guarding against this before you focus downrange from one.


 * On the cliff overlooking the crashed plane, when walking off and moving towards the left, the player will fall on a small ledge that can be used for sniping. Be warned though, players can easily be countersniped as there is little cover and the player must expose his head in the open.
 * Rushing is an effective strategy at catching the unprepared, but there will almost always be a sniper waiting to pick any player off.
 * Thermal Scopes are particularly effective on this map, as the monochromatic and low-light conditions of the interiors of both the two pillbox bunkers and the large central cave make it very hard to spot enemy marksmen in them. Additionally, dust clouds which blow across the map sometimes make it hard to spot details at longer ranges outdoors, which Thermal Scoping can help with. The only downfall to thermal scopes is that it is difficult to see enemy players jumping off or sniping on the cliff, due to the bright background of the sky.
 * The upturned wing of the crashed C-130 is a possible fighting position. Relying, as all such positions do, on enemies not looking there (and it is therefore most practical for Hardcore games due to the lack of a killcam). It is also possible to jump down from the cliff (the highest point on the map) onto the top of the plane's tailfin.thumb|300px|right|Gameplay On Afghan.
 * The multiple pathways toward all fighting positions make Domination matches particularly hectic, as the offense will often be able to find an unguarded approach.
 * The propellers on the C-130 make for a good camping spot, especially when attacking the cave. Although these propellers offer little cover.
 * The most obvious sniping positions - the high cliff and the two bunkers - are often camped to such an extent that they are useless, even if their rear approaches are secure. When they aren't being watched by any mobile enemies, they are often simply squaring off against each other as snipers.
 * There are mattresses below the high cliff that will negate almost all fall damage and can always be jumped down onto safely from the cliff above. To land successfully on them, walk off the cliff rather than jumping from it.
 * The small and completely enclosed interiors of the pillbox bunkers make those inside particularly vulnerable to explosives, particularly rockets from afar.
 * If the player runs on the C-130 and jumps onto a small box just off of the wing an opened sniping spot is available. From here, the player is invulnerable to virtually anything.
 * Players should not go inside the C-130. There (with UAV) the player can be easily exposed to LMGs and small arms fire.
 * The small doors into the pillbox bunkers are particularly easy to secure with Claymores. However, the bunkers are small enough that an enemy can often shoot anyone inside from just outside the door.
 * The tall poppy plants in the northeast corner make for superb concealment, even without a Ghillie Suit (which, being set in a desert on this map, doesn't blend much with the lush green plants anyway).
 * The entire map is surrounded by deadly falls and radiation; however, they should be far away from any avenues of approach the player may take, with the possible exception of the northwest corner.
 * A clever sniping trick when having control of the bunkers, is to snipe a couple of enemies then move to the other bunker. From there the player can watch and snipe any enemies that go to check where the player was previously.
 * There are a lot of dips and a rock where a prone sniper can be effectively concealed near Demolition Site B. The dips are even large enough to conceal care packages, but it is possible for a package to roll off the edge of the map from here.
 * The plane's cockpit is an effective, though extremely obvious and open, fighting position.
 * It is possible to hide under the tail portion of the crashed C-130 and conceal oneself from enemy aircraft.
 * Chopper Gunner rounds can penetrate the fuselage of the crashed C-130.
 * Despite the openness of the map, there are several out-of-the-way dead ends with large vehicles as hard cover which are ideal for activating killstreaks from. Three of these positions are in the southeast, the direct south, and the direct west.
 * Sandstorms periodically flare up and reduce some visibility, even while using thermal scopes. Visibility is perfect in between these storms.
 * It is possible to jump from the tip of the crashed C-130's upturned wing to the pipes sticking out of the mountain or the small grassy ledge to the right of the pipes. The jump's success is much more likely if running speed is boosted.
 * When playing Demolition, the attacking team's spawn point is extremely vulnerable.
 * When playing Demolition, the defense has an observed tendency to focus on point A. Point B can be reliably defend by just one player, however, who is either sitting on top of the rock adjacent to the cave exit (the one in the shadows) or sitting next to the pile of rocks on either side of the concrete catwalk ( line-of-sight to the bomb from this location is blocked, but sometimes LOS on someone interacting with it is possible).
 * When playing Demolition, the offense is often at such a disadvantage that neither team will successfully bomb both targets, the game will go into overtime, and whoever is lucky enough to defend will win. Estate is similar in this regard.
 * Hiding in between the two stalagmites in the cave and to the back of the eastern bunker make the player very hard to see from outside, especially if wearing a Ghillie suit, which eliminates the slight shine on all players. As stated earlier, this is why thermal scopes are particularly valuable on this map.
 * There are trucks on this map. It is possible to jump on top of them and crouch in the hole on the roof. Doing this in the Humvee in the southeast is an effective way to defend point A in Domination.
 * In Domination matches, fighting gets furious around A and B, so be prepared. Some people may camp in the tall grasses behind A, so make sure the area is clear as well as the surrounding bunkers. Also, C is right by one of the most popular sniping spots, so don't try to snipe.
 * The cave can easily be secured by a team using Claymores. The rear entrance is particularly effective, as setting a claymore near the pipes can cause a much larger explosion, often resulting in a multi kill.
 * Claymores prove invaluable in several areas of the map, and can be planted between the hydrogen tanks near the high cliff sniping spot, as well as the two choke points leading down from there to the left, through the poppy field.
 * An experienced sniper can camp in the small bunker with a claymore and hold off a few enemies before moving.
 * The bunkers are good sniping spots, but are also death traps. Even with a Claymore, one grenade will kill the player.
 * The small places of vegetation make good places to hide Claymores.
 * A ghilie suit can be very effective on this map if the user hides in the tall grass that is scattered around the map.
 * A bunch of matresses can be used to jump and take no fall damage
 * On Domination, it is possible to capture B by crouching or going prone in the poppy fields, allowing a capture without being seen.

Trivia

 * This map seems to be set near the location of Site Hotel Bravo, as the stone road structure visible from the cliff at the north end of the map is the same as in Just Like Old Times.


 * On the concrete bridge along the cliff face, there is a small alcove. A teddy bear is on the ground there, along with door scrapes on the ground leading to the bomb shelter, implying that the owner dropped it outside the door before it closed, and died inside the shelter. There is also a concrete slab next to it that says "ALEXANDER ROYCEWICZ 2009"
 * The Infinity Ward logo can be seen on several of the cave system's heavy steel doors.
 * The UAZ-469 in the western portion of the map, behind the high cliff, has blood on the driver's seat and dashboard, implying a fight has already taken place. Shooting this blood splatter actually produces the same sound as bullets impacting a human body. It is the exact same blood splat that is featured in the mission 'Takedown' ,when the Driver is shot.


 * If the player stands next to the building in the farthest northeast corner, they can hear dogs bark.Nk-poster-001.jpg


 * A village can be spotted behind the OpFor spawn in the radiation zone, but is made up mostly of a mosque and four stone houses.


 * Just like in the accessible plane on the map Terminal, there are no seats for either the pilot or co-pilot in the crashed plane.


 * The C-130 Hercules is identical to the crashed plane in Exodus. This is similar to Crash, which features a CH-46 Sea Knight wreckage identical to the one in Aftermath.


 * At the tail section of the plane, up on the mattresses is a teddy bear that is quite well hidden. Also, on one of the mattresses is the book The Sign of Four.


 * There is another teddy bear on the rocks below the cliff where the mattresses are, it is on a boulder to the right of the pile of mattresses, it blends in with the other small rocks.


 * The mattresses will break the player's fall from the cliff, provided he/she lands on them.


 * There are some propaganda posters scattered throughout the map, an example of which is shown on the right. It is a North Korean poster.
 * If the player stands near the cave, the minimap shows the Infinity Ward logo.
 * There appears to be poppy fields at the back of this map. Poppies are often associated with being used to make opium, and other drugs.

Glitches and Tricks

 * IGN's series Map Recon has a video for this map, available here.

Videos
thumb|300px|left|Gameplay on Afghan with commentary