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

Page 54 The Other Side of the Mountain: Mujahideen Tactics in the Soviet-Afghan War
The convoy was hemmed in by the village of Morad Beg, so the
Soviets had difficulty maneuvering armored vehicles forward to
fire into the ambush site. Since the object of the ambush was to
destroy vehicles, it made sense to hit the head of the convoy. If the
object had been to capture weapons, then an attack on the middle
or end of the convoy would have been better. Available terrain kept
the Mujahideen ambush compact—which is not what they prefer.
This is closer to a Western-style ambush. After the initial firing,
the ambush turned into a desultory, protracted sniping exercise
which was more like an afternoon's recreation for the ambushers
than decisive combat. _