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

Chapter 7, Vignette 2 Page 207
road. About 500 fighters deployed around the district center, while the
rest were engaged in fulltime logistic support.
The siege lasted 45 days while the Mujahideen gradually tightened
the noose around the militia positions. The Mujahideen kept only one
third of the fighters on the front line at any one time. The rest were
either in reserve or involved in logistic service. The front line fighters
were relieved every 24 hours.
The Soviets and DRA supported the Dehrawud garrison with daily
air strikes on Mujahideen positions to check their advance. They
would run two or three attack missions daily using fighter bombers
and helicopter gunships. In the meantime, the Soviet/DRA command
assembled ground forces from Kandahar and Shindand to relieve the
embattled militia at Dehrawud. However, it took the enemy weeks
before he was ready to move large columns of infantry and tanks to the
mountainous battlefield.
One day, a Mujahideen gun crew on a ZGU-1 anti-aircraft heavy
machine gun shot down one of a pair of Soviet fighter-bombers flying
over Dehrawud. The plane burst into flames and fell in the Helmand
River. The pilot, said to be a high ranking officer,? bailed out and landed
five to six kilometers from the nearest Mujahideen position. The
other fighter circled the area and flew away apparently after pinpointing
the crash site of the fallen plane. A seven-man Mujahideen team
under Mulla Juma Khan went to capture the pilot. By the time the
Mujahideen reached the pilot, he had moved to a position from which
he could fire his AK-74 at the advancing resistance fighters. The
Mujahideen tried to capture the pilot alive. While they were preparing
to try and capture him, a swarm of transport helicopters and helicopter
gunships flew over the Kotal-e Murcha pass from Kandahar and
began gun runs against the Mujahideen positions. Two helicopters
hovered over the crash site. One hovered about 50 meters from the
ground and lowered a ladder. The Soviet pilot jumped up from his
hideout and started climbing up the ladder. Seeing that the Soviet
pilot was escaping, the Mujahideen opened fire and killed the pilot and
damaged the helicopter. The helicopter tried to escape but crashed
about three kilometers away.
. This incident triggered increased Soviet air activity as they tried to
soften up the area for the upcoming attack by ground forces moving on
two axes to Dehrawud. One column was approaching along the
Helmand River from Kajaki dam and the other from Khakrez across
the Kotal-e Murcha pass. For three days, Soviet air strikes continued
Mulla Malang states that he was a general officer.