| HUMVEE | Military vehicle in Iraq and Afghanistan |
| TANK | Military vehicle in reservoir (4) |
| IRAN | Nation between Iraq and Afghanistan |
| OLIVEDRAB | Colour of the standard fighting uniform for US GIs and military vehicles in World War II |
| PEUGEOT | French automaker that produced armored military vehicles in WWI |
| SHERMANTANKS | Military vehicles in #46-Across: 2 wds. |
| THREEKINGS | 1999 black comedy set in Iraq and starring George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg and Ice Cube; also the name of an Auckland suburb (5,5) |
| BAGHDAD | ------- Central, C4 crime thriller set in Iraq and starring Waleed Zuaiter and July Namir (7) |
| LOUISQUATORZE | Antique style unknown in Iraq - and Toulouse, oddly |
| KURDS | Islamic people in Iraq and Turkey |
| DINAR | Monetary unit in Iraq and Kuwait |
| DWARSHUIS | Ben ......... , Australia cricketer who took 3-66 and 3-47 against England and Afghanistan respectively in the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy (9) |
| ASIA | In which are capitals of Azerbaijan, Singapore, India and Afghanistan |
| RUPEE | Currency unit once used in Oman and Afghanistan |
| STARK | Last name of the 20th-century British author of classic books about her travels in the Middle East and Afghanistan (5) |
| PAMIR | Highland region of Tajikistan and Afghanistan from which several south-central Asian mountain ranges radiate, including the Hindu Kush and the Tian Shan. Its name refers to the grasslands of the easte |
| KHYBER | The pass between Pakistan and Afghanistan |
| URAL | Risk territory bordering Ukraine and Afghanistan |
| FARSI | Indo-european language of Iran and Afghanistan (5) |
| TURKMENISTAN | Republic lying between the Caspian Sea and Afghanistan (12) |
