The capture of Lurkoh is an operation of the Soviet troops and the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan , conducted in 1981 against the Afghan mojahedin during the Afghan war (1979-1989) in the Lurkoh mountain range in the province of Farah DRA .
Content
Lurkoh Base District
The base in Lurkoh was located in a mountain range, possessed of stocks of weapons, ammunition and food, which provided the ability to hold a multi-month siege. Equipment was stored in concrete structures, in large warehouses and in shelters. The approaches to the massif and the gorges leading inwards were mined [1] .
Prerequisites for operation
The Mujahideen detachments used Lurkokh as a base for attacking motorways and attacks on the locations of the 70th Separate Guards Motorized Rifle Brigade and the 21st DRA Infantry Brigade deployed in the Farah area. On the basis of stored mining, obtained from the attacks [1] .
The command of the Soviet troops and the Afghan army made various attempts to force the enemy to leave the area. Initially used negotiations and warnings about the use of force. When the goal was not achieved, the search for a forceful solution began. At the same time , the 5th Division that participated in the hostilities did not have the forces and means to carry out the operation successfully without significant losses: there was not enough artillery, amphibious helicopters and communications equipment suitable for use in mountainous areas. In this regard, despite the demand of the DRA to strike the rebel base, who commanded the division until December 1980, Yury Shatalin , and then Boris Gromov, who replaced him, preferred to block the enemy inside the mountain range by mining all approaches and cause damage by regular artillery strikes and bombardments [2] . The participation of personnel in active hostilities was strongly limited [1] .
Throughout their stay at Lurkoha, Soviet and Afghan troops suffered casualties, from the Soviet side — primarily among sappers, motorized riflemen and paratroopers, and from the Afghan side — among the military personnel of the 21st infantry brigade [1] .
The death of General Khakhalov V.N.
In August 1981, Major General Vadim Khakhalov arrived at the location of the 5th division by order of the Commander-in-Chief of the Air Force, Marshal of Aviation Pavel Kutakhov . He was tasked with assessing the effectiveness of the use of Su-25 attack aircraft . For this purpose, it was prescribed, after drawing a bomb-assault strike, to advance motorized rifle units to the center of Lurkoch. Boris Gromov, as well as the leadership of the 40th Army, understood that such actions would lead to losses, so they were not in a hurry to carry out the order. Also, Gromov did not allow independent actions of V. N. Khakhalov, who proposed to fly to the center of the array by helicopter after striking a strike. According to Anatoly Tabunshchikov, former deputy commander of the 73rd Air Army, V.N. Khakhalov went to Afghanistan instead of him, and, having no experience in hostilities, he rushed into battle [3] . Therefore, during the absence of Gromov, he took advantage of the moment and carried out his raid on September 5, 1981 [2] . As a result, the general's helicopter was shot down, and he himself died [1] .
Purpose and Progress of Operation
The death of Khakhalov forced the Soviet troops to take decisive action to return the bodies of the general and members of his crew. Hastily developed a plan of operation for mastering the base of the Mujahideen. It was decided to make the way to the center of Lurkoha through mountains and ridges and through two gorges. It took seven days to implement the plan [1] .
Losses amounted to eight people. The bodies of Khakhalov and helicopter pilots were found in a disfigured state [1] .
At the end of the operation, the entire base was crushed, the concrete structures were blown up, and the whole area was mined. After that, the troops left Lurkoh [1] .
Lurkoh after the 1981 operation
After some time, the base in Lurkoha was restored. It conducted training of the Mujahideen and meetings of the commanders of the formations, opposition to the government in Kabul, renewed attacks on the highways, Soviet and Afghan troops. In December 1984, Lurkoh became the site of a planned operation of the 5th Motorized Rifle Division, as a result of which the base was again defeated [4] .
The next resumption of activity of the armed opposition in Lurkoh was the events at the end of 1985, during which massive bombing and air strikes were carried out against Lurcoch, which completely suppressed the resistance of the rebels [1] .
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Gromov B. V. Limited contingent . - M .: Progress, 1994. - p. 136-142.
- ↑ 1 2 Markovskiy V., Prikhodchenko I. Su-25 “Rook”. All about the formidable attack aircraft . - Liters, 2017-09-05. - 171 s. - ISBN 9785040014545 .
- ↑ Interview of Oleg Korytov with Anatoly M. Tabunshchikov . www.airforce.ru. The appeal date is June 21, 2018.
- ↑ Varennikov V.I. Inimitable. In 7 volumes .. - M .: Soviet writer, 2001.
Literature
- “Afghan war: 1979-1989” V.A. Bogdanov p.160
- General A.M. Tabunshchikov “The death of General Khakhalov in Afghanistan. Province of Farah. 1981 year. "
- A.A. Lyakhovsky “The Tragedy and Valor of Afghan” p.511 about Mastering Lurkoh in 1984
In foreign languages
- Lester K. Grau, Ali Ahmad Jalali - “The Other Side Of The Mountain”: Mujahideen Tactics In The Soviet-Afghan War ; Soviet-Afghan War & Afghan Guerrilla Warfare: In the Words of the Mjuahideen Fighters
- №1 "AfghAn Insurgent tActIcs, technIques, And Procedures fIeld guIde" №2 "AfghAn Insurgent tActIcs, technIques, And Procedures fIeld guIde"
- “Vignette 5 Battles for Sharafat
- “Vignette 12: Defending Base Camps Battles for Sharafat Koh Mountain Fortress 1982-1983”
See also
- Fortifications of the Afghan Mujahideen (1979–1989)
- Kokari sharshari