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

Page 354 The Other Side of the Mountain: Mujahideen Tactics in the Soviet-Afghan War
terrain so he did not present an air target and moved in the middle of
the column where he could best exert control. He gets low marks for
following the guide down a stream bed without sending flankers to
sweep the high ground. But, when his force was hit, the commander
was able to ascertain that his column was not in immediate danger of
annihilation and shut down return fire. This allowed his men to determine
where their ambushers were and to draw them out of position.
The commander ordered an escape to the northeast and then a move
south in the safety of the mountains rather than retracing their route
and risking another ambush or drawing the relief column into the
Sepets area.
CHAPTER COMMENTARY
Successful counterambush is the result of careful planning, battle
drills, rehearsals, information security, patrolling, current tactical
intelligence, and deception measures. Movement of supplies needs to
vary by route, time and composition of the supply column.
Mujahideen supplies were moved on mule, horse, donkey, camel,
truck and human porter. While some factions had their own transport,
the bulk of Mujahideen supplies were carried by contracted
teamsters and muleteers. The cost of transport was high and a group
with a reputation of getting ambushed would be hard put to find willing
teamsters.
In some areas, the Mujahideen only had to transport ammunition,
but in other areas they had to transport food, clothing, and forage as
well. Ammunition requirements for a small ambush by a 20-man
group armed with Enfields, Kalashnikovs, an RPG-7, a PK medium
machine gun, and five antitank mines, might exceed 375 pounds. The
weight of required ammunition shoots up dramatically as mortars,
recoilless rifles and heavy machineguns are added.' Even if the ammunition
was furnished free, the cost of getting it to where it was needed
was considerable and the wise Mujahideen commander carefully
protected his supplies against interdiction.
3 'The Logistics System of the Mujahideen", page 55, unpublished government contract
study written in 1987.