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

VIGNETTE 13
KRER TWO
by Commander Assadullah
At the end of 1987, when the Soviet forces were preparing to begin
their negotiated withdrawal from Afghanistan, they launched a
number of high-visibility offensives, which served their propaganda
campaign which claimed that the Soviet Army was able to defeat any
Mujahideen force anywhere. To this end, the Soviets conducted operation
Magistral in Paktia Province to open the "unopenable" Gardez-
Khowst highway. At the same time, the Soviets attacked major
Mujahideen border bases. In Kunar Province, the Soviet/DRA forces
targeted the Mujahideen bases at Krer for destruction. Apparently,
they intended to establish a border security outpost at the Spina
Tsoka Mountain on the border with Pakistan to control several infiltration
routes connecting the Nawa Pass, Gonjgal and other valleys
in Pakistan with the road to Sarkani and the valleys of Shonkray,
Shalay, and Olay in Afghanistan.
In late December 1987, I received intelligence reports that a
Soviet-led DRA column would attack the Krer bases. The intelligence
agents did not know when the attack would come. There were only
170 men in my regiment at that time. I established security posts
and conducted reconnaissance along the routes over which I expected
the attack. Based on past enemy behavior, I expected him to avoid
night combat and night maneuver. I expected him to attack at dawn
or later and to use the valley approach. The enemy surprised me. He
chose to move and fight at night and, instead of using the valley
approach, he moved to the north flank of the mountain and attacked
over it. He did this to get behind my forward defenses and unhinge
my defense (Map 11-16 - Krer 2).
The enemy moved from Sarkani at night in two columns. One
column moved against the Mujahideen "Fatha" base and the other
moved deeper in a flanking maneuver to the rear of my defenses and
tried to climb the heights of Spina Tsoka mountain. The column heading
toward the "Fatha" base climbed the ridge from the east. There
was a security outpost there consisting of 10-12 men sleeping in a tent
and a small hut. The enemy soldiers silently approached the guard
and killed him without making any noise. The other Mujahideen at the
Commander Assadullah is the source of the previous vignette.