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. A portion of the road had been held closed by the Mujahideen since 1979. The offensive was carried out by several motorized divisions of the 40th Army, the Soviet Airborne division, Spetsnaz, artillery, airpower and local militia, as well as several units of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan ^[1]. Ultimately, the Soviets needed to force the road with a division and link up with the DRA 25th Infantry Division^[2]. Combatants Soviet Union Democratic Republic of Afghanistan Afghan Mujahideen rebels supported by nations such as: United States, Pakistan, Iran, China, Saudi Arabia, United Kingdom Commanders Soviet forces only Boris Gromov Pavel Grachev Valentin Varennikov Jalaluddin Haqqani Abdul Haq Gulbuddin Hekmatyar Mohammed Younas Khalis Ismail Khan Ahmed Shah Massoud Sibghatullah Mojadeddi... Please wikify (format) this article or section as suggested in the Guide to layout and the Manual of Style. ... Please wikify (format) this article or section as suggested in the Guide to layout and the Manual of Style. ... Look up November in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Combatants Soviet Union Democratic Republic of Afghanistan Afghan Mujahideen rebels supported by nations such as: United States, Pakistan, Iran, China, Saudi Arabia, United Kingdom Commanders Soviet forces only Boris Gromov Pavel Grachev Valentin Varennikov Jalaluddin Haqqani Abdul Haq Gulbuddin Hekmatyar Mohammed Younas Khalis Ismail Khan Ahmed Shah Massoud Sibghatullah Mojadeddi... Khost, sometimes spelt Khowst, is a town in Afghanistan, located at 33. ... President Celal Bayar, King Zahir and Lord Serwar Nasher inspecting the once world-renown cotton of Kunduz Spinzar factory Kunduz (قندوز) is a city in Afghanistan; the name has also sometimes been rendered as Kûnduz, Qonduz, Qondûz, Konduz, Kondûz, Kondoz, or Qhunduz. ... Paktia (Persian: پکتیا ) is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan, in the east of the country. ... Mujahideen (Arabic: ‎, , strugglers) is an Islamic-Arabic term for Muslims fighting in a war, or involved in any other struggle. ... For the Smashing Pumpkins song, see 1979 (song). ... VDV flag. ... Russian special forces showcasing their skills For the Swedish EBM band, see Spetsnaz (band). ... This article is about Communist rule in Afghanistan (1978-1992), which is separate, although slightly so, from the Soviet war in Afghanistan. ... This article is about Communist rule in Afghanistan (1978-1992), which is separate, although slightly so, from the Soviet war in Afghanistan. ...

The operation met with early success, as the Soviets used massed artillery and airpower to great effect and attacked on multiple axes. However, stiff resistance caused the offensive to falter and eventually to be called off. Historically, artillery (from French artillerie) refers to any engine used for the discharge of projectiles during war. ...

It is questionable whether the operation should have been launched at all: Soviet forces were already withdrawing from the conflict, supplies had been airlifted to Kunduz since 1979, and the operation itself seems to be more an effort to save face. President Celal Bayar, King Zahir and Lord Serwar Nasher inspecting the once world-renown cotton of Kunduz Spinzar factory Kunduz (قندوز) is a city in Afghanistan; the name has also sometimes been rendered as Kûnduz, Qonduz, Qondûz, Konduz, Kondûz, Kondoz, or Qhunduz. ...

Popular culture

It was featured in the Russian/Finnish movie "9th Company". 9th Company (Russian: «9 рота») is a Russian / Finnish film about the Soviet war in Afghanistan released in 2005. ...

Notes

1. Afghan Guerrilla Warfare: In the Words of the Mujahideen, Ali Ahmad Jalali and Lester W. Grau, pg. 165
2. Ibid., pg 166