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

VIGNETTE 3
AIR ASSAULT ON MARO STRONGHOLD
by Toryalai Hemat
Chapter 9, Vignette 3 Page 237
In April 1987, the Soviets and DRA launched a combined strike on
the Mujahideen stronghold in Nangrahar Province, Shinwar District
near the Nazian Valley. The Nazian Valley was heavily populated,
although many of the inhabitants had emigrated to Pakistan to avoid
the Soviet bombing attacks. The Mujahideen stronghold that the
enemy wanted was at Maro, some 70 kilometers southeast of
Jalalabad near the Pakistan border. Several Mujahideen groups
from different factions were located around Maro and there were
probably some 500 well-armed Mujahideen in the stronghold area.
The Soviets called this stronghold the Melava fortified region. 1
For 18 days prior to the attack, the Soviets hit the area with
airstrikes. Then, a mechanized Soviet/DRA column moved east
from Jalalabad and, when it reached Shinwar Town, it split in two
(Map 9-3 - Maro). One column moved through Shinwar and up the
Nazian Valley, while the other column moved further to the east to
the subdistrict of Dur Baba and then attacked to the southwest.
Commander Saznur and his men defended on the Dur Baba
approach. Commander Khaled and I, along with our 10 other
Mujahideen, defended Ghazgisar—the highest ground in the area
overlooking Maro. The enemy launched heavy air strikes against us.
Following the airstrikes, Soviet helicopters landed air assault forces
on the high ground between the two axes. 2
Some 40 or 50 heli­
copter sorties were involved. One of the landing zones was right in
front of us. The fighting was fierce. Nine of my group were killed by
the bombing or while fighting the air assault force. Only Khaled,
Toryalai Hemat was a regiment commander of a mobile force allied with the IUA~lslamic
Union of Afghanistan of Sayyaf. He fought in many provinces in Afghanistan. [Map sheet
3185, vie grid 8892].
1
A Soviet account of this action is contained in vignette 26 of The Bear Went Over the
Mountain. The Soviet account mistakenly has the action to the northeast of Jalalabad, a
mistake that Les Grau made based on a similar name and some vague text.
2
These were two battalions from the 56th Air Assault Brigade in Gardez. The battalions
drove to Jalalabad and then to Shinwar. They staged the air assault from a field site in
Shinwar. Why they did not fly to Jalalabad airfield and then stage the air assault from the
airfield is a mystery. The ground force was most likely from the Soviet 66th Separate
Motorized Rifle Brigade and the DRA 11th Infantry Division.