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

VIGNETTE 2
BATTLE FOR ALISHANG DISTRICT CENTER
by Commander Sher Padshah
In August 1981, the Mujahideen controlled the district center of
Alishang in Laghman Province. My base was in a remote upper valley
near Daulatshah. I brought 29 of my Mujahideen south through the
fertile Alishang Valley to Alishang Village. (Map 8-2 - Alishang) This
is a trip of over 45 kilometers. When we arrived, we were very tired
and the local Mujahideen, who numbered 50, told us to sleep and that
they would provide security. In the morning, as we were rising for
morning prayers, we heard shots. The guards then realized that we
were surrounded. We decided to escape into the mountains. The
Badrow hills are about three kilometers northeast of the village and
lead to the mountains. As we tried to get out of the village, we came
under fire from all directions. Within five minutes, we lost 14
Mujahideen KIA and 50 WIA. Mawlawi Niaz Mohammed, the local
Mujahideen commander, was among the dead. Faced with withering
fire and heavy losses, we retreated back into the village to conduct a
desperate defense.
Our force was down, to 15 Mujahideen but our mortars were still in
position from where we had set them up the night before. Besides the
mortars, we had RPG-7s, PK machine guns, Kalashnikov rifles, and
Bernau "20-shooters." 4 We mounted a stubborn defense. We discovered
that Soviet forces had surrounded the village. At 0800 hours, a
DRA reinforcing column with tanks and infantry came from the
provincial capitol of Mehtar Lam. We started firing the mortars at the
column. The DRA kept trying to get into the village, but we drove them
back. Sometimes the fight degenerated to hand-to-hand combat. We
hit one tank with a RPG-7. Around noon, a jeep full of Soviet advisers
drove into range. One of my RPG-7 gunners destroyed the jeep. We
also captured some of the DRA soldiers who were close to the jeep. We
demanded that they surrender and they did. The fighting continued
until 1600 hours. Then, as sunset neared, the DRA and Soviets withdrew,
leaving the village in our hands. Besides our 14 Mujahideen KIA
and 50 WIA, there were many dead and wounded Afghan civilians
Commander Sher Padshah is from Laghman Province. [Map sheet 3086, vic grid 0149].
4 The Bernau is the Czechoslovak M26 light machine gun. The Mujahideen called them
"20-shooters."