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

VIGNETTE 3
FALL OF SURKHAB BASE CAMP
by Haji Sayed Mohammad Hanif
In early September 1983, we laid an ambush at Pul-e Khandari on
Highway 157, the major road between Kabul and Gardez. At that
time, Mujahideen ambushes were hurting the DRA/Soviet efforts to
keep Gardez supplied. The enemy convoys always left Kabul in the
morning. We would get into position in the morning and wait until
afternoon. If no convoys had shown by afternOon, we would quit and
go back to base or go take a nap in the villages. The enemy finally
figured out that we were reacting to their pattern and changed their
pattern. They started moving their convoys in the afternoon on the
assumption that we Mujahideen would have abandoned the ambush
sites, since it was long past time for the convoy to arrive. As usual,
we set up our ambush in the morning and waited. No convoy came.
We left the ambush site and, by late afternoon, most of the
Mujahideen had left the area. Then the column of some 180 trucks
arrived. What Mujahideen were left in the village ran to the road and
engaged the supply convoy which was hauling ammunition, fuel and
food. We got part of the convoy and divided the booty among the
Mujahideen groups that had representatives at the ambush. My
group managed to capture some ammunition trucks, which we drove
to our base near Surkhab in Durow Canyon.
A few days later, a major enemy force moved against our base
camps to retaliate for this attack. They kept the area under seige
for eight days. We had a total of about 300 Mujahideen from various
groups in the area at this time. Our heavy weapons were DShK
machine guns and mortars. We had expected some retaliation, so
we had prepared defensive positions on the ridges on both sides
of the canyon mouth and laid some antitank mines in the area. We
also laid an antitank minefield on the trail to the Tobagi plain
(Map 11-3 - Surkhab2). The enemy column came through Pule-e
Kandahari. They attacked and lost some Soviet armored vehicles to
mines on the northern and southern approaches to the canyon.
Mujahideen fighting positions on the high ground overlooked these
minefields, so we could fire on the advancing enemy as they tried to
Haji Sayed Mohammad Hanif provided the previous vignette, [Mapsheet 2885, vic grid
2577].