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

VIGNETTE 10
ZHAWAR ONE
by Lieutenant Omar and Mawlawi Nezamuddin Haqani
Zhawar was a Mujahideen base in Paktia Province located some
four kilometers from the Pakistan border. A 15-kilometer road goes
from Zhawar to the major Pakistani forward supply base at Miram
Shah. Zhawar began as a Mujahideen training center and expanded
into a major Mujahideen combat base for supply, training and staging.
As the base expanded, Mujahideen used bulldozers and explosives
to dig at least 11 tunnels into the south-east facing ridge of
Sodyaki Ghar Mountain. These huge tunnels stretched to 500 meters
and contained a hotel, a mosque, arms depots and repair shops, a
garage, a medical point, a radio center and a kitchen. A gasoline
generator even provided power to the tunnels and the hotel's video
player! This impressive base became a mandatory stop for visiting
journalists, congressmen and other "war tourists." Apparently, this
construction effort also often interfered with basic construction of
fighting positions and field fortifications. The Mujahideen "Zhawar
Regiment," some 500 strong, was permanently based there. This
regiment was primarily responsible for logistics support of the mobile
groups fighting in the area and for supplying the Islamic Party (HIK)
groups in other provinces of Afghanistan. Due to the primary logistics
function, the regiment was not fully equipped for combat, but was
a credible combat force. The regiment was responsible for local
defense and for blocking infiltration of Khad and KGB agents
between Afghanistan and Pakistan. They manned checkpoints along
the road to screen identification papers. The regiment had a Soviet
Lieutenant Omar (Zabit Omar) graduated from the Kabul Military Academy in the 1970s.
After the communist coup and the Soviet invasion, Lieutenant Omar joined the Mujahideen
of the fundamentalist Islamic Party (HIK) founded by Mawlawi Mohammed Yunis Khalis.
He was a close aide to Jalaluddin Haqani and fought with him throughout the war. Haqani
ran the Mujahideen effort in the crucial Paktia Province. Lieutenant Omar also served as
a group commander in Paktia Province throughout the war. [Map sheet 2983, vie grid
8267].
Mawlawi Nezamuddin Haqani was a group commander and a deputy to Jalaluddin Haqani.
He was a member of the fundamentalist Islamic Party (HIK) founded by Mawlawi
Mohammed Yunis Khalis. He joined the Mujahideen following the communist coup in 1978
and fought in the Paktia area. Prior to the Soviet invasion, his group had liberated the area
surrounding Khost and only the city of khost remained under government control.