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

VIGNETTE 5
LAST STAND ON THE ISLANDS OPPOSITE GERDI KATS
by Mawlawi Shukur Yasini
On 24 March 1984, the Soviets sent a large force into Kama
District. I was in Peshawar, Pakistan at that time. The Soviet force
was not just the 66th Brigade, but also included a force which came
from fighting in Laghman Province. The entire force had some 200-
300 tanks and APCs in it. I had two groups of Mujahideen in the
village of Merzakhel. One group was commanded by Baz Mohammad
and the other by my nephew Shapur. Baz Mohammad's group
managed to get out of Merzakhel before the Soviets arrived but
Shapur's group of 25 was trapped. The Soviets landed troops on the
high ground overlooking Merzakhel and their tanks were moving in
from the west (MaplO-5 - Gerdi). Across the river, Soviet tanks were
moving through Gerdi Kats. The Mujahideen moved south from
Merzakhel to the low, flat islands of the Kabul River between Gerdi
Kats and Merzakhel. These islands are covered with a low-scrub
which offers some concealment but not cover. As they reached the
islands, the Soviet infantry in Gerdi Kats began to cross the river
with inflatable rubber rafts. The Soviets also moved a tank into the
river to cross over, but it quickly became stuck. Fairoz, a Mujahideen
machine gunner, sunk the rafts with PK machine gun fire. The
Soviet infantry sunk into the river and several drowned. The Soviets
also had two dogs on the rafts. The dogs swam back to Gerdi Kats.
Mujahideen fire from the islands pinned down the Soviets and defeated
their crossing attempt.
However, at the same time, the enemy brought pressure on my
group from both sides and only a few of my men managed to slip
away. They were exposed on the low-scrub islands and I lost 11 KIA,
two WIA and two captured. The two captured were Awozubellah and
Mawlawi Shukur Yasini is a prominent religious leader in Nangrahar Province. He is from
the village of Gerdab in Kama District northeast of Jalalabad. During the war, he was a
major commander of the Khalis group (HIK). Later, he joined NIFA. During the war, he
took television journalist Dan Rather to his base in Afghanistan. He also accompanied
Congressman Charles Wilson of Texas into Afghanistan several times. During most of the
war he was active in his own area fighting the DRA in Jalalabad and the Soviet 66th
Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade at Samarkhel. He became a member of the Nangrahar
governing council after collapse of the communist regime--a position he held until the
Taliban advance in September 1996. [Map sheet 3185].