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

Page 336 The Other Side of the Mountain: Mujahideen Tactics in the Soviet-Afghan War
fire at random, but they would never dismount troops and push them
forward. Then enemy aircraft would' arrive and make strafing runs,
but it would be too late because darkness would be falling. Our
group and Chaghni base camp was a real thorn in the side of the
enemy.
It was in the year of Islam Dara (October 1986) that the Soviets
captured our base at Chaghni. Our commander, Abdul Razek, was
not at the base but was visiting other Mujahideen in Kandahar and
Helmand with a representative of our faction headquartered in
Peshawar. At 0400 hours, the enemy dropped illumination flares
that lit up the area like it was day. Everybody was sleeping at
Chaghni except for the sentries. The enemy followed this with an air
and MRL bombardment. Early in the morning, helicopters came and
landed troops at four LZs (Map 11-17 - Chaghni). Some 45 helicopters
were involved. These four LZs were located on the high
ground to secure the flanks for their advancing tanks and infantry.
When the air assault forces reported that the way was clear, the
tanks and mechanized infantry moved from Shahr-e Safa. The
artillery fire and airstrikes were so heavy that they probably
assumed that no one was left alive.
The Soviets had moved earlier from Kandahar to Shahr-e Safa.
Now, the enemy ground column came from Shahr-e Safa south to
Kadu, where they turned east in the canyon between Mayantak
Ghar and Kharwari Ghar mountains. Air assault forces on these
heights safeguarded their passage. The movement of the enemy was
very slow since they waited as the air assault forces moved along
the high ground to secure passage for them. They reached Kadu in
the morning. It took them from 0800-1600 hours to travel the
remaining 11 kilometers from Kadu to our base. At the end of the
canyon was the village of Mayu. There, the ground column split. The
main body continued east toward the village of Bandaki.
Our base camp was to the east of Bandaki, located in a saddle
between the Caki Ghar and Dumunaray Ghar mountains. Again, air
assault forces on the heights safeguarded their passage. The other
part of their column was a flanking detachment. It turned south at
Mayu through the village of Shahbed and then to the south of
Dumunaray Ghar mountain to block our escape and to shoot at our
base. Their tanks reached our base in the afternoon. As they neared
our position, they put in the fifth and sixth LZ to not only secure their
advance but also to attack down from the high ground. Haji Pir
Mohammad was using a ZGU on hill 1722. Amir Mohammad