The Other Side of the Mountain: Mujahideen ... - Tribal Analysis Center

VIGNETTE 6
RAID FROM CHELTAN ON OUTPOSTS IN THE KABUL SUBURBS
by Commander Asil Khan
Kabul was surrounded by three security belts made up of security
outposts manned by Soviet and DRA forces. A battalion from the
DRA 8th Infantry Division garrisoned the old highway construction
headquarters, commonly known as "the company," in the western
suburbs of Kabul. The battalion also guarded a number of government
supply depots located across the highway to the west. The
battalion built security outposts on the Khwaja Pushta hills in the
south. The battalion protected all its installations with mine fields
except for the outposts on the hills. This made all the other installations
too difficult to attack in the dark.
I commanded a joint 200 Mujahideen detachment made up from
local resistance units affiliated with NIFA, HIK and Etehad-e Islami
(IUA). According to our agreed plan, we were to move from our bases
around Cheltan and converge on the target area in the dark. We
would continually shell the main battalion camp and the depots,
while the assault groups would attack the Khwaja Pushta hill
outposts (Map 2-5 - Cheltan).
In the late afternoon of 1 June 1985, I led my NIFA Mujahideen
from our base at Morghgiran. We arrived near the target after 2000
hours. We deployed for battle according to plan. I established blocking
positions at Asia-e Beni and Pul-e Khushk and deployed about 20
Mujahideen at each position. I positioned one 82mm mortar with its
five-man crew and two 82mm recoilless rifles (each with a five-man
crew) at Asia-e Beni to shell the enemy battalion.
The raid began around 2100 hours and lasted until 2300 hours.
Our heavy weapons kept the enemy battalion and the depot forces
pinned in place. The enemy responded with artillery fire but made no
attempt to counter with infantry or tanks. No enemy helicopters
responded throughout the raid. This lack of response left the tactical
initiative in my hands. We easily overran the enemy outposts on the
Khwaja Pushta hills and captured weapons and a radio set. Most of
the DRA soldiers ran away. At one outpost, we killed two enemy soldiers
and wounded another. We had no casualties. We pulled out
before midnight and the force split up and returned to their bases.
Asil Khan was a NIFA commander and a famed guerrilla commander in the Kabul area.
[Map sheets 2885 and 2886].