Mujahideen Tactics in the Soviet-Afghan War - Bennett Park Raiders

VIGNETTE 3
ROAD BLOCK AT ESTALEF
by Commander Sofi Lai Gul
In October 1983, one of my men was injured during a fight with
other Mujahideen from the local area. I took a group of 20 of my
Mujahideen from my base in Farza and went five kilometers north
to Estalef. We were going to meet with local elders in Estalef to settle
the dispute with other local commanders. Estalef is a popular
summer resort some 40 kilometers north of Kabul.
Informers told the DRA and Soviets about our gathering and the
enemy decided to attack us. The Soviet forces came from nearby
Bagram and the DRA forces came from Kabul. At night, Mujahideen
patrols at the Estalef junction of the Kabul-Charikar highway reported
that Soviet and DRA columns have moved from Kabul and Bagram
and were heading toward Estalef. The Mujahideen alerted their men
at dawn. My 20 men joined a force of nearly 100 commanded by a
local commander who was the son of a leading Estalefi chieftain
(Wakil Mohammad Amin Khan). We took up positions in the
orchards at Deh-e Khwajahasan and Qabr-e Malik (Map 6-3 -
Estalef). We planned to block the Estalef road and deny the enemy
access to the town which dominated the fertile valley.
The Mujahideen commanders divided their men into small teams
of four-five men and deployed them in the orchards along the road in
order to ambush the enemy column over a wide stretch. We instructed
our men to let the head of the enemy column reach Qabr-e Malik
and then everyone should open fire. As the leading vehicles reached
Qabr-e Malik, the attack signal was given and relayed through
portable megaphones. We hit the lead armored vehicle and a jeep.
The battle raged along the length of the column from Qabr-e Malik to
Deh-e Khwajahasan. The Soviet infantry dismounted and attacked
the Mujahideen positions and heavy fighting ensued. We were scattered
throughout the orchards and had plenty of room to maneuver,
so it was hard for the Soviet infantry to pin us down. However, we
were short of supplies, particularly ammunition. Further, the
Soviets/DRA had much more combat power than we did and they
Commander Sofi Lai Gul is from Farza village of Mir Bacha Kot District about 25 kilometers
north of Kabul. -He was affiliated with Mojaddedi's Afghanistan National Liberation
Front of Afghanistan (ANLF) during the war with the Soviets. Commander Sofi Lai Gul concentrated
his efforts on the Kabul-Charikar highway. [Map sheet 2886, vie grid 0754].