Operation Magistral
Encyclopedia
Operation Magistral was a Soviet Army
military operation during the Soviet war in Afghanistan
that began in late November 1987 and ended in early January 1988.
that had been blocked by Mujahideen forces and a local tribe for several months, in order to deliver supplies to the population and Afghan government troops in the besieged city
on the Pakistan border.
The offensive was carried out by the 108th and 201st motorized divisions of the Soviet 40th Army, the 103rd Guards Airborne division, the 345th airborne regiment and the 56th airborne brigade, and several Spetsnaz
units. The Democratic Republic of Afghanistan
provided troops from its 8th, 11th, 12th, 14th and 25th infantry divisions and from the 15th tank brigade. The DRA forces were commanded by Major-General Shahnawaz Tanai
.
The ground offensive began after weeks of failed negotiations with the Jadran
tribe and Mujahideen commander Jalaluddin Haqqani
, who had numerous bases in the region and hoped that Khost would eventually fall into their hands which would allow them to proclaim the first territorial stronghold in Afghanistan independent of the pro-Kremlin
regime in Kabul
.
Special units of the 40th Army conducted a massive propaganda campaign using radio broadcasts and distributing thousands of leaflets, calling on the Jadran tribe to retreat and the local population to leave the area.
The initial phase of the operation began on November 19, with an offensive carried out principally by Afghan troops, in order to clear the plains around Gardez, before moving into mountainous areas. By 28 November, they had cleared Ghalgai, Dara, and Saruti Kandau at the base of the Shabak Khel valley, while a flanking force made its way into the Kanai valley. On 30 November, a force of 900 Afghan commandos was airlifted into Shabak Khel valley. Heavy fighting also broke out in the neighbouring Kanai valley, where DRA troops advanced slowly, building defensive outposts as they went, and suffering from punishing Mujahideen counter-attacks, that inflicted heavy losses.
multiple rocket launcher
s, placed ZGU-1 anti-aircraft guns on every height. They had a plentiful supply of DShK
machine guns, 75 and 82 mm recoilless rifle
s and RPG-7
anti-tank rocket launchers. They also mined
the opening of the pass to a depth of three kilometers, boasting that this position was impregnable.
Following the failure of the negotiations, an attack was launched on November 28. In order to discover the enemy positions, Boris Gromov
ordered that dummy
paratroopers be dropped near the pass. When the Mujahideen opened fire, Soviet reconnaissance
aircraft were able to pinpoint their positions and direct airstrikes against them. This was followed by a four-hour artillery
barrage.
The first ground attack was carried out on November 29 by a motorized rifle regiment. The attack quickly bogged down under heavy fire and Mujahideen counter-attacks, and the Soviet force withdrew after suffering severe casualties.
On Gromov's orders, a new attack was launched on December 1, this time with an airborne battalion, and a battalion of Afghan Army
commando
s. These units succeeded in capturing the high ground above the pass. The Mujahideen, threatened with encirclement, beat a hasty retreat, abandoning most of their heavy weapons and equipment.
The Mujahideen, having lost control of the pass, realized that a conventional defense would only entail more losses for them, and they withdrew their main units from the path of the Soviet offensive. Beforehand, they laid mines on the road, and maintained a constant long-range fire with 107 mm rockets
. They also sprang ambushes on Soviet units that ventured too far from the main force. In one such ambush, 24 Soviet paratroopers were killed.
Despite this, the Soviet armoured columns made a slow but regular progress, entering Khost on December 30. Soviet and DRA outposts were maintained to keep the Gardez-Khost road open, but were withdrawn at the end of January.
In April 1988, by signing the Geneva Accords the Soviet Union became committed to withdrawing its forces from Afghanistan.
. The Truth About 9th Company
documentary computer game is dedicated to the Battle for Hill 3234
taken place during the operation Magistral.
Soviet Army
The Soviet Army is the name given to the main part of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union between 1946 and 1992. Previously, it had been known as the Red Army. Informally, Армия referred to all the MOD armed forces, except, in some cases, the Soviet Navy.This article covers the Soviet Ground...
military operation during the Soviet war in Afghanistan
Soviet war in Afghanistan
The Soviet war in Afghanistan was a nine-year conflict involving the Soviet Union, supporting the Marxist-Leninist government of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan against the Afghan Mujahideen and foreign "Arab–Afghan" volunteers...
that began in late November 1987 and ended in early January 1988.
The early operation
The operation was launched to open the road from Gardez to KhostKhost
Khost or Khowst is a city in eastern Afghanistan. It is the capital of Khost province, which is a mountainous region near Afghanistan's border with Pakistan...
that had been blocked by Mujahideen forces and a local tribe for several months, in order to deliver supplies to the population and Afghan government troops in the besieged city
Siege of Khost
The Siege of Khost: during the nine-year Soviet war in Afghanistan in the 1980s and the subsequent Afghan civil war, the town of Khost was besieged for more than eleven years. Its airstrip's 3 km runway served as a base for helicopter operations by Soviet forces.Operation Magistral was an...
on the Pakistan border.
The offensive was carried out by the 108th and 201st motorized divisions of the Soviet 40th Army, the 103rd Guards Airborne division, the 345th airborne regiment and the 56th airborne brigade, and several Spetsnaz
Spetsnaz
Spetsnaz, Specnaz tr: Voyska specialnogo naznacheniya; ) is an umbrella term for any special forces in Russian, literally "force of special purpose"...
units. The Democratic Republic of Afghanistan
Democratic Republic of Afghanistan
The Democratic Republic of Afghanistan was a government of Afghanistan between 1978 and 1992. It was both ideologically close to and economically dependent on the Soviet Union, and was a major belligerent of the Afghan Civil War.- Saur Revolution :...
provided troops from its 8th, 11th, 12th, 14th and 25th infantry divisions and from the 15th tank brigade. The DRA forces were commanded by Major-General Shahnawaz Tanai
Shahnawaz Tanai
Lieutenant General Shahnawaz Tanai is a former communist general. He was chief of Afghanistan's army under the russians-backed Republic of Afghanistan...
.
The ground offensive began after weeks of failed negotiations with the Jadran
Jadran
Jadran means "The Adriatic" in South Slavic languages and may refer to:*Jadran , a Montenegrin Navy training ship built in 1931*MV Jadran, a ferry built in 2010 operated by Jadrolinija*Jadran Film, a Croatian film production company...
tribe and Mujahideen commander Jalaluddin Haqqani
Jalaluddin Haqqani
Mawlawi Jalaluddin Haqqani is the leader of the Haqqani network, an insurgent group fighting against US-led NATO forces and the government of Afghanistan. He also fought in the 1980s Soviet war in Afghanistan, including in the Operation Magistral...
, who had numerous bases in the region and hoped that Khost would eventually fall into their hands which would allow them to proclaim the first territorial stronghold in Afghanistan independent of the pro-Kremlin
Kremlin
A kremlin , same root as in kremen is a major fortified central complex found in historic Russian cities. This word is often used to refer to the best-known one, the Moscow Kremlin, or metonymically to the government that is based there...
regime in Kabul
Kabul
Kabul , spelt Caubul in some classic literatures, is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. It is also the capital of the Kabul Province, located in the eastern section of Afghanistan...
.
Special units of the 40th Army conducted a massive propaganda campaign using radio broadcasts and distributing thousands of leaflets, calling on the Jadran tribe to retreat and the local population to leave the area.
The initial phase of the operation began on November 19, with an offensive carried out principally by Afghan troops, in order to clear the plains around Gardez, before moving into mountainous areas. By 28 November, they had cleared Ghalgai, Dara, and Saruti Kandau at the base of the Shabak Khel valley, while a flanking force made its way into the Kanai valley. On 30 November, a force of 900 Afghan commandos was airlifted into Shabak Khel valley. Heavy fighting also broke out in the neighbouring Kanai valley, where DRA troops advanced slowly, building defensive outposts as they went, and suffering from punishing Mujahideen counter-attacks, that inflicted heavy losses.
Capture of the Satukandav pass
The Satukandav pass, 30 km east of Gardez, was the main passage between Kabul and Khost. Here the Mujahideen placed their main blocking position, concentrating their forces and digging in anti-aircraft guns and other heavy weapons. To defend the approaches of the Satukandav, the Mujahideen deployed ten BM-12BM-12
The BM-12 was a 107mm Multiple Rocket Launcher developed in the Soviet Union after World War II. The launcher and rockets were adopted by China and produced in large quantities as the Type 63....
multiple rocket launcher
Multiple rocket launcher
A multiple rocket launcher is a type of unguided rocket artillery system. Like other rocket artillery, multiple rocket launchers are less accurate and have a much lower rate of fire than batteries of traditional artillery guns...
s, placed ZGU-1 anti-aircraft guns on every height. They had a plentiful supply of DShK
DShK
The DShK 1938 is a Soviet heavy machine gun firing the 12.7x108mm cartridge. The weapon was also used as a heavy infantry machine gun, in which case it was frequently deployed with a two-wheeled mounting and a single-sheet armour-plate shield...
machine guns, 75 and 82 mm recoilless rifle
Recoilless rifle
A recoilless rifle or recoilless gun is a lightweight weapon that fires a heavier projectile than would be practical to fire from a recoiling weapon of comparable size. Technically, only devices that use a rifled barrel are recoilless rifles. Smoothbore variants are recoilless guns...
s and RPG-7
RPG-7
The RPG-7 is a widely-produced, portable, unguided, shoulder-launched, anti-tank rocket-propelled grenade launcher. Originally the RPG-7 and its predecessor, the RPG-2, were designed by the Soviet Union, and now manufactured by the Bazalt company...
anti-tank rocket launchers. They also mined
Land mine
A land mine is usually a weight-triggered explosive device which is intended to damage a target—either human or inanimate—by means of a blast and/or fragment impact....
the opening of the pass to a depth of three kilometers, boasting that this position was impregnable.
Following the failure of the negotiations, an attack was launched on November 28. In order to discover the enemy positions, Boris Gromov
Boris Gromov
Boris Vsevolodovich Gromov is a prominent Russian military and political figure. Since 2000, he has been the Governor of Moscow Oblast.-Biography:...
ordered that dummy
Military dummies
A dummy round is a round of ammunition that is completely inert, i.e., contains no primer, propellant, or explosive charge. It is used to check weapon function, and for crew training. Dummy ammunition is distinct from "practice" ammunition, which may contain smaller than normal amounts of...
paratroopers be dropped near the pass. When the Mujahideen opened fire, Soviet reconnaissance
Reconnaissance
Reconnaissance is the military term for exploring beyond the area occupied by friendly forces to gain information about enemy forces or features of the environment....
aircraft were able to pinpoint their positions and direct airstrikes against them. This was followed by a four-hour artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
barrage.
The first ground attack was carried out on November 29 by a motorized rifle regiment. The attack quickly bogged down under heavy fire and Mujahideen counter-attacks, and the Soviet force withdrew after suffering severe casualties.
On Gromov's orders, a new attack was launched on December 1, this time with an airborne battalion, and a battalion of Afghan Army
Military of Afghanistan
The military of Afghanistan is composed of the Afghan National Army and the Afghan National Army Air Force . Being a landlocked country, Afghanistan has no navy, and the private security forces who are sometimes seen wearing military uniforms are not part of Afghanistan's military...
commando
Commando
In English, the term commando means a specific kind of individual soldier or military unit. In contemporary usage, commando usually means elite light infantry and/or special operations forces units, specializing in amphibious landings, parachuting, rappelling and similar techniques, to conduct and...
s. These units succeeded in capturing the high ground above the pass. The Mujahideen, threatened with encirclement, beat a hasty retreat, abandoning most of their heavy weapons and equipment.
Relief of Khost
The Soviet forces then launched several airborne attacks, though they were limited in this by the Mujahideen use of Stinger missiles. In a night attack, an airborne brigade was flown by helicopter to capture Mirujan, at the southern end of the mountains on the Gardez-Khost road. Simultaneously, another brigade was airlifted into Khost and staged a breakout to rejoin the main force.The Mujahideen, having lost control of the pass, realized that a conventional defense would only entail more losses for them, and they withdrew their main units from the path of the Soviet offensive. Beforehand, they laid mines on the road, and maintained a constant long-range fire with 107 mm rockets
Rocket artillery
Rocket artillery is a type of artillery equipped with rocket launchers instead of conventional guns or mortars.Types of rocket artillery pieces include multiple rocket launchers.-History:...
. They also sprang ambushes on Soviet units that ventured too far from the main force. In one such ambush, 24 Soviet paratroopers were killed.
Despite this, the Soviet armoured columns made a slow but regular progress, entering Khost on December 30. Soviet and DRA outposts were maintained to keep the Gardez-Khost road open, but were withdrawn at the end of January.
Aftermath
Operation Magistral was a success for the Soviet army, but occurred too late in the war to have any lasting effect. When the main Soviet force had withdrawn, Mujahideen groups cut off Khost once again, as they had done since 1981.In April 1988, by signing the Geneva Accords the Soviet Union became committed to withdrawing its forces from Afghanistan.
Cultural depictions
Some of the events of the operation were used for the plot of the movie 9th Company9th Company
The 9th Company is a 2005 Russian–Finnish–Ukrainian film directed by Fyodor Bondarchuk about the Soviet War in Afghanistan.-Plot:The film follows a band of young recruits from a farewell ceremony with friends and family back home. They train in Uzbekistan's Fergana Valley where they befriend a...
. The Truth About 9th Company
The Truth About 9th Company
The Truth About 9th Company is the first Russian documentary computer game which was officially launched on 18 February 2008. This war game simulates the historical battle for Hill 3234 taken place on 7-8 January 1988 in southern Afghanistan between Soviet paratroop units of the 345th Independent...
documentary computer game is dedicated to the Battle for Hill 3234
Battle for Hill 3234
The Battle for Hill 3234 was a defensive battle and successful military campaign fought by 345th Soviet paratroopers in Afghanistan against a force of 200 to 250 Mujahideen rebels...
taken place during the operation Magistral.
Further reading
- Gromov, Boris(1994); Limited Contingenthttp://www.rsva.ru/biblio/prose_af/limited_contingent/index.shtml; Progress Publishing House; Moscow.