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

VIGNETTE 1
BATTLE OF BARAKI BARAK
by Commander Qazi Guljan Tayeb
Baraki Barak District is a very fertile oasis and a major green
zone located between the two main highways running south and
southwest from Kabul. One highway runs from Kabul to Gardez in
Paktia Province and the other runs from Kabul to Gazhni and on to
Kandahar. The waters of the Wardak River and Wardak Gorge irrigate
this fertile area and wheat, corn, and rice fields intersperse with
vineyards and orchards. This fertile, well-populated valley provided
a natural base from which the Mujahideen could attack both of these
main LOCS as well at Muhammad Agha District to the north and
Gardez in the south.
In June 1982 there were several Mujahideen bases located in the
Baraki Barak District. We had brought a number of heavy antiaircraft
machine guns into the area, particularly the ZGU-1 14.5mm
single-barreled machine gun. The enemy was concerned about the
presence of these air defense weapons. We received information that
the enemy was preparing an offensive into our area with three major
objectives: first, to seize our air defense weapons that were becoming
a hindrance to their air raids in our AO; second, to capture some of
the leading Mujahideen commanders who continuously harassed and
attacked Soviet and DRA columns traveling on the two highways
which bordered our area; and, third, to seize control of the area and
restore the district government to the DRA. We had overthrown the
DRA district government in 1979.
The Soviets and DRA launched their offensive with more than
20,000 troops involved directly and in support (Map 10-1 - Barak).
They sent out three columns, one each from Gardez, Kabul and
Wardak. 1
These forces moved to our area, established a cordon
Commander Qazi Guljan Tayeb was a third year student in Kabul Theological College during
the communist takeover in 1978. He joined Hikmatyar and later switched to the Sayef
faction in the mid-1980s. He was the Commander of Baraki Barak District of Logar
Province. [Map sheets 2784, 2785, 2884, 2885].
1
Forces on the Gardez axis were from the Soviet 56th Air Assault Brigade and the DRA
12th Infantry Division. Forces on the Kabul and Wardak axes were probably from the
Soviet 103rd Airborne Division and 108th Motorized Rifle Division, while DRA forces
were probably from the 8th Infantry Division, 37th Commando Brigade and 15th Tank
Brigade.