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

VIGNETTE 2
THE BATTLE FOR PANJWAYEE
based on an interview with Mulla Malang
In September 1982, the DRA, backed by Soviet forces, had firm
control of Panjwayee, the district capital of Panjwayee District (Map
4-2 - Panjwayee). Panjwayee is located some 25 kilometers southwest
of Kandahar. The district was militarily significant to both sides since
the town and its surrounding hills provided a favorable base for military
action in the green zones which stretch all the way to the city of
Kandahar. This area was also the hot bed of resistance in the region.
Seizing control of Panjwayee was in the interest of all the local
Mujahideen groups based in the area. Therefore, about 1,000 Mujahideen
assembled near . Panjwayee to take the town. The operation was
directed by HIK commander Mulla Malang and others.
The town was defended by up to 300 militia who lived there with
their families The militiamen had turned their houses and all other
buildings into fortified positions. They placed bunkers on the roof tops
and occupied and fortified the high ground overlooking the town and
the approaches to it. The Mujahideen began by surrounding the town
and shelling it for two days. The shelling had little effect on the
defenders, but the Mujahideen soon found themselves the object of
enemy artillery fire and aerial bombardment. Most of the Mujahideen
withdrew into the neighboring villages of Sperwan and Zangabad.
On the third day, Commander Mulla Malang decided to penetrate
the town with a small group and to seize control of a number of the
dominant positions that covered the approaches to the town. At noon,
Mulla Malang led a group of 25 Mujahideen to the southern edge of the
town. They carried picks and shovels. They quietly dug a hole through
the adobe wall and broke into a house. Once inside, they began to
advance from house to house by knocking holes into the walls. Their
advance was totally unobserved by the militia who were occupying the
rooftop positions overlooking the streets of the town. The Mujahideen
finally knocked a hole through a wall that opened onto a courtyard.
They burst into the courtyard with weapons at the ready. The
militiamen were caught by surprise. They assumed that the town
Mulla Malang was one of the most famous commanders of the Kandahar area. He was an
adherent of Mawlawi Mohammed Yunis Khalis-Islamic Party (Hezb-e-lslami Khalis). [Map
sheet 2180, vic grid 4794].