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

VIGNETTE 1
CARVING UP REGIMENTS ON THE APPROACH TO WAZI
by Haji Badshah Khan
In April 1980, I set out to capture the Wazi District Headquarters
which sits astride the main road between Gardez and Khowst. I had
some 400 Mujahideen who came from the Dari Khel Valley. The
Saroti pass is at the northern end of the Dari Khel Valley and offers
access from Gardez to Khowst. The Satakandow pass on the main
Gardez-Khowst highway was already controlled by the Mujahideen,
so the Dari Khel approach was the only possible route for the DRA.
In those days, we did not have base camps, but lived in our villages
and used whatever weapons were at hand. We had rifles plus some
locally manufactured machine guns from Pakistan. I made my plan
of attack. During the night, we moved to Wazi which is close to the
Dari Khel Valley (Map 6-1 - Wazi). I divided my men in groups and
we surrounded the district headquarters on all four sides. I ordered
my subordinate group commanders to wait for my signal to attack. In
the morning, I intercepted radio communications between the Wazi
garrison and their headquarters. The commander was asking for
help and stated that he was surrounded by Mujahideen. Shortly
after that, two helicopters came, circled the area and returned. The
commander of the garrison was Mohammad Hashem. He was from
the Jaji tribe and we knew each other. He sent a mediator to me who
announced that the garrison was ready to surrender. I told him to
disarm his men first and then we would negotiate. He did and then
he surrendered the garrison. We captured a lot of weapons. The
spoils of this action encouraged other Mujahideen to besiege other
posts for their weapons.
The DRA reacted to the fall of Wazi by sending two columns to
reestablish government control. The government forces moved on
two axes, one from Khowst and the other from Gardez. The column
from Khowst reached Said Khel and formed an assembly area
there. The column from Gardez approached the Saroti pass. I began
to mobilize people against the government forces. I sent harbakai
(tribal police or regulators who kept law and order in their areas)
Haji Badshah Khan is from the warrior subtribe of Dad Khel of the Zadran tribe. He lives
on the Saroti pass approach to Khost. When the communist coup occurred, he took his
family to Pakistan and then returned to build resistance forces in the area. [Map sheets
2883 and 2983].