|
The battles of Zhawar were fought during the Soviet war in Afghanistan between Soviet Army units, and their allies of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan against Afghan mujahideen groups. The Soviets' objective was to destroy the Mujahideen logistic base situated at Zhawar, 3 kilometers from the Pakistani border. Combatants Soviet Union, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan (Parcham) Afghan and foreign Mujahideen rebels supported by nations such as: United States, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Iran, Egypt, China United Kingdom Commanders Soviet forces only Pavel Grachev, Boris Gromov, Valentin Varennikov Abdul Haq, Jalaluddin Haqqani, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, Mohammed Khalis, Ismail Khan, Ahmad Shah...
Please wikify (format) this article or section as suggested in the Guide to layout and the Manual of Style. ...
The Battle of Maravar Pass was an operation of the 1st Company of the 334th Detached Spetsnaz Group in Afghan villages of Sangam and Daridam on April 21, 1985, during the Soviet war in Afghanistan. ...
Operation Magistral was a military operation in November 1987 during the Soviet war in Afghanistan launched to open the road from Khost to Soviet 40th Army base in Kunduz, Paktia Province. ...
Combatants 9th Company, 345th Guards Airborne Regiment (VDV) Black Storks Commanders Senior Lieutenant Sergey Borisovich Tkachev Jalaluddin Haqqani Strength 39 250-500 Casualties 9 killed, 28 wounded 90 killed // In November 1987 the Soviet 40th Army under General Boris Gromov began Operation Magistral to open the road from Gardez to...
Combatants Soviet Union, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan (Parcham) Afghan and foreign Mujahideen rebels supported by nations such as: United States, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Iran, Egypt, China United Kingdom Commanders Soviet forces only Pavel Grachev, Boris Gromov, Valentin Varennikov Abdul Haq, Jalaluddin Haqqani, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, Mohammed Khalis, Ismail Khan, Ahmad Shah...
This article is about the armed forces of the Soviet Union. ...
This article is about Communist rule in Afghanistan (1978-1992), which is separate, although slightly so, from the Soviet war in Afghanistan. ...
Mujahideen (Arabic: , ; Turkish: , literally strugglers) is a term for Muslims fighting in a war or involved in any other struggle. ...
Mujahideen (Arabic: , ; Turkish: , literally strugglers) is a term for Muslims fighting in a war or involved in any other struggle. ...
Military logistics is the art and science of planning and carrying out the movement and maintenance of military forces. ...
Zhawar
The Zhawar caves in 2002. The Mujahideen base at Zhawar, situated in Paktia Province, served as a storage facility for supplies and equipment being transfered from neighbouring Pakistan to the various guerilla groups operating in the region. It also served as a training and command facility. The Mujahideen had dug tunnels up to 500 m into the Sodyaki Ghar mountain,and the accommodations included a hotel, a mosque, a medical point and a garage to house the two T-55 tanks that had been captured fom the DRA in 1983. Paktia (Pashto: پکتيا) is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan, in the east of the country. ...
The Masjid al-Haram in Mecca as it exists today A mosque is a place of worship for followers of the Islamic faith. ...
The T-54 and T-55 tank series was the Soviet Unions front-line main battle tank from 1947 until 1962, and remains in service throughout the world to this day, especially by former client states of the Soviet Union. ...
The troops defending the base numbered 500, and they were armed with a D-30 howitzer, several BM-12 multiple rocket launchers, five ZPU-1 and ZPU-2 heavy machine-guns for air defense. Additionally, other Mujahideen groups were active in the area, and they participated in the defense of the base when necessary. These groups were part of various movements including the Hezbi Islami, the Hezb-e Islami Khalis, the Harakat-i-Inqilab-i-Islami and the Mahaz-e-Melli, though all in theory came under the authority of regional commander Jalaluddin Haqqani. Please wikify (format) this article or section as suggested in the Guide to layout and the Manual of Style. ...
19th century 12 pounder (5 kg) mountain howitzer displayed by the National Park Service at Fort Laramie in Wyoming, USA A howitzer is a type of artillery piece that is characterized by a relatively short barrel and the use of comparatively small explosive charges to propel projectiles at trajectories with...
BM-13 Katyusha RM-70 of the Polish Army A multiple rocket launcher is a type of unguided rocket artillery system, in use since the Second World War. ...
ZPU-4 in Batey ha-Osef museum, Israel. ...
ZPU-4 in Batey ha-Osef museum, Israel. ...
Hezbi Islami (also Hezb-i-Islami, Hezbi-Islami, Hezb-e-Islami) is a military force in Afghanistan led by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, and established by him in Pakistan during 1975. ...
Harakat-i-Inqilab-i-Islami (Islamic Revolutionary Forces) was a traditionalist Afghan mujahedeen group fighting against Soviet forces from 1980 to 1988, during the Soviet war in Afghanistan. ...
Maulavi Jalaluddin Haqqani (c. ...
The first battle The first offensive was launched in September 1985 by elements of the 12th and 25th DRA divisions, supported by Soviet airpower, at a time when the major Mujahideen commanders were absent, including Haqqani, who was performing the Hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca. Combatants Soviet Union, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan (Parcham) Afghan and foreign Mujahideen rebels supported by nations such as: United States, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Iran, Egypt, China United Kingdom Commanders Soviet forces only Pavel Grachev, Boris Gromov, Valentin Varennikov Abdul Haq, Jalaluddin Haqqani, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, Mohammed Khalis, Ismail Khan, Ahmad Shah...
Paktia (Pashto: پکتيا) is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan, in the east of the country. ...
Image File history File links AfghanFlag1980. ...
This article is about Communist rule in Afghanistan (1978-1992), which is separate, although slightly so, from the Soviet war in Afghanistan. ...
Image File history File links Flag_of_the_Soviet_Union. ...
Mujahideen (Arabic: , ; Turkish: , literally strugglers) is a term for Muslims fighting in a war or involved in any other struggle. ...
The Hajj (Arabic: , transliteration: ; Turkish: ; Ottoman Turkish: Øاج, HÄc; Malay: , Bosnian: ) is the Pilgrimage to Mecca in Islam. ...
This article needs additional references or sources to facilitate its verification. ...
The DRA forces first attacked from Khost, and succeeded in capturing the village of Bori, to the North-East of Zhawar. They then ran into heavy resistance and had to pull back. Khost, sometimes spelt Khowst, is a town in Afghanistan, located at 33. ...
The main attack came on September 4, and was at first successful, capturing the village of Lezhi and killing a Mujahideen commander. Very soon the attack was halted at the Manay Kandow pass, that had been heavily fortified by the Mujahideen. For 10 days the defenders held out, but were finally forced to withdraw, under heavy airstrikes by Soviet aircraft. This enabled the DRA forces to cross the pass and capture the Tor Kamar position, overlooking Zhawar, from where they could direct artillery fire.
At this point the Mujahideen launched a counter-attack, led by their two T-55 tanks. The DRA were caught by surprise, as they had not expected to meet armour, and they fell back after sustaining heavy losses. The DRA commander tried to renew the assault, but by that time the Mujahideen had received reinforcements from Pakistan, and they were able to repel further attacks.
Finally after 42 of days fighting, the DRA units withdrew to their bases. This victory considerably boosted the morale of the Mujahideen.
The second battle The second offensive was conducted on a larger scale, and eventually involved 12,000 troops, including 2,200 Soviets, led by DRA General Nabi Azimi, with Soviet General V. G. Trofimenko serving as advisor. Combatants Soviet Union, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan (Parcham) Afghan and foreign Mujahideen rebels supported by nations such as: United States, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Iran, Egypt, China United Kingdom Commanders Soviet forces only Pavel Grachev, Boris Gromov, Valentin Varennikov Abdul Haq, Jalaluddin Haqqani, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, Mohammed Khalis, Ismail Khan, Ahmad Shah...
Paktia (Pashto: پکتيا) is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan, in the east of the country. ...
A Pyrrhic victory is a victory with devastating cost to the victor. ...
Image File history File links AfghanFlag1980. ...
This article is about Communist rule in Afghanistan (1978-1992), which is separate, although slightly so, from the Soviet war in Afghanistan. ...
Image File history File links Flag_of_the_Soviet_Union. ...
Mujahideen (Arabic: , ; Turkish: , literally strugglers) is a term for Muslims fighting in a war or involved in any other struggle. ...
Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...
Valentin Varennikov interviewed by CNN in August of 1997 Valentin Ivanovich Varennikov (Russian: Валентин Иванович Варенников)(born December 15, 1923), Soviet general and Russian politician. ...
Maulavi Jalaluddin Haqqani (c. ...
The offensive began on the 28th of February 1986, a short while after General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev had announced the decision to withdraw Soviet troops from Afghanistan. Thus the Soviet units were initially confined to supporting the DRA offensive. Joseph Stalin, first General Secretary The General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (First Secretary in 1953-1966) was the title synonymous with leader of the Soviet Union after Vladimir Lenins death in 1924. ...
Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev (Russian: ), surname more accurately romanized as Gorbachyov; born March 2, 1931) is a Russian politician. ...
The opening moves were conducted by DRA ground troops attacking from Khost and Gardez who made very slow progress, due to bad weather and harassment by the Mujahideen, reaching the approaches to Zhawar only one month later. Gardez is the capital of Paktia province, Afghanistan. ...
The second phase of the offensive was to be an airborne assault carried out by the DRA 38th commando Brigade. The initial assault group, transported by Mi-8 helicopters, departed on the 2nd of April, but they got lost in the darkness and accidentally landed on the wrong side of the Pakistani border. This force was quickly surrounded and taken prisoner. The main airborne assault came in the immediate vicinity of Zhawar, and was supported by precision airstrikes by Soviet Su-25 attack aircaft. These attacks caused some losses among the Mujahideen defenders, even trapping 150 of them, including Haqqani, inside a cave that had been targeted by a missile. Haqqani later escaped and led 700-800 Mujahideen in a series of counter-attacks against the DRA landing zones, that they overran one by one. After three days of fighting, the DRA 38th Brigade had ceased to exist as a fighting force, and 530 commandos had been captured by the Mujahideen. The DRA also lost 24 helicopters. For other uses, see Commando (disambiguation). ...
Russian Mi-8 Hip The Mil Mi-8 (NATO reporting name Hip) is a large transport helicopter that can also act as a gunship. ...
Su-25 of the Russian Air Force The Su-25 (NATO reporting name Frogfoot) is a battlefield attack, close air support, and anti-tank aircraft designed by the Soviet Union. ...
It has been suggested that Guided missile be merged into this article or section. ...
This fiasco prompted the Soviets to take over the operation, whose command was given to General Valentin Varennikov. The DRA force was strengthened with Soviet units, and the aerial bombardment of Mujahideen positions was intensified and pursued round the clock. Valentin Varennikov interviewed by CNN in August of 1997 Valentin Ivanovich Varennikov (Russian: Валентин Иванович Варенников)(born December 15, 1923), Soviet general and Russian politician. ...
Eventually, on April 17, the offensive was renewed. After several unsuccessful attempts, the DRA/Soviet force managed to capture the strategic Dawri Gar mountain. At a crucial moment, a Hezbi Islami unit drew back from their positions without fighting. At the same time, Jallaluddin Haqqani was injured in an airstrike, causing rumours of his death to spread rapidly among the Mujahideen, and their forces abandoned the defense of Zhawar.
The Soviet engineers tasked with destroying the base had very little time to do so, as the DRA troops were intent on withdrawing as soon as possible, fearing a Mujahideen counter-attack. In the end they tried to do as much damage as they could by detonating explosives inside the caves, and laying seismic mines before withdrawing hurriedly.
Aftermath and losses The Soviet and DRA losses remain uncertain, but were presumably heavy. The Mujahideen claimed to have destroyed 24 helicopters and 2 jets, and captured 530 prisoners, for a loss of 281 killed and 363 injured. Of the 500 Afgahn prisoners, 78 officers were tried and executed by Haqqani and Khalis, including the commander of the 38th commando brigade, Colonel Qalandar Shah.
The DRA celebrated their victory, and though the success had proved costly, it served to alleviate the pressure on Khost, that was then under siege. However, Zhawar was quickly retaken by the Mujahideen, who repaired the damage, and strengthened their defenses.
References - Westermann, Edward. The Limits of Soviet Airpower: The Failure of Military Coercion in Afghanistan, 1979-89. University of New Brunswick Libraries (http://www.lib.unb.ca). Retrieved on 2007-03-29.
2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ...
March 29 is the 88th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (89th in leap years). ...
2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ...
March 29 is the 88th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (89th in leap years). ...
Further reading - Youssaf, Mohammad and Adkin Mark(1992) , The Bear Trap: Afghanistan’s Untold Story; Leo Cooper
|
Feeds |
Contact