621:
southeast, in order to deceive the defenders over the direction of the main assault. After an artillery preparation, the attack from the south began, and met with initial success. The tank crossed the minefields protecting Urgun, destroying machine guns on the way, followed by an assault group that overran the positions of the battalion defending the south of the town. The DRA soldiers who evaded capture retreated into the octagonal fort, where
General Jamaluddin Omar was stationed. However, the northern attack never got underway, as the second tank had got stuck in the sand. The mujahideen who had entered Urgun soon began to run short of ammunition, and one of the crew members of their tank was killed. The tank was sent back to the rear to fetch ammunition, but some mujahideen saw this as a signal to retreat, and the DRA garrison managed to counterattack and drive the mujahideen from the town. In the morning, Soviet and Afghan aircraft relentlessly bombed and strafed the exposed mujahideen, destroying their tank and forcing them to retreat into the mountains.
617:
crewmen was quickly put to use, clearing a path through the minefields and knocking out the machine guns, before breaching the fort walls. A 65-strong mujahideen assault party stormed through the breach, after which the Nek
Mohammed Kala garrison quickly surrendered. Of the 243 prisoners, most were released, and those who wished were allowed to join the resistance. A few days later, the mujahideen completed the encirclement of Urgun, by capturing a security outpost on a mountain to the west of the town. The DRA garrison were forced to rely on aerial resupply, as all roads were cut. However, the road between the airfield and the town was under mujahideen machine-gun fire, so supplies could only be carried in armoured vehicles. To bolster their defenses, the DRA flew in an operations group led by General Jamaluddin Omar, who redeployed one battalion to the south of Urgun.
229:
165:
156:
103:
256:
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1411:
1423:
39:
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655:, and the immediate goal was the capture of booty. For the Mujahideen guarding the road to Urgun, there was a strong possibility that would be denied their share of the loot, in favour of those participating in the direct assault of the town. Therefore they rapidly abandoned their positions, which explains why the government forces had little difficulty in breaking the siege.
640:. The mujahideen parties in Pakistan had received new weapons, and thus the insurgents demonstrated new confidence in carrying out large-scale operations involving different factions. However, they were still plagued by internal divisions. In autumn 1983, two tank crews defected from the Urgun garrison with their
616:
In August 1983, the mujahideen laid siege to the Nek
Mohammed Kala fortress, but they were unable to approach it as it was protected by minefields and heavy machine-guns. However, on September 18, the insurgents were able to ambush a supply column and capture a tank. The prize, crewed by former DRA
607:
unit was stationed at a fort known as Nek
Mohammed Kala, 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) to the south of the town, and another company occupied a post 1.5 kilometres (0.93 mi) to the north of Urgun, protecting the main road leading into the town. An old fort, known as the Octagonal Fort, served as
554:
Starting in July 1983, large numbers of
Mujahideen fighters began to concentrate around Urgun. The town represented a political objective, in that the newly formed Mujahideen government-in-exile had set its sights on Urgun as a future provisional capital. The attacking Mujahideen belonged to three
620:
In
January 1984, the mujahideen began the second phase of their plan, a direct assault on Urgun itself. The plan called for an attack led by the captured tank from the south, together with a concerted attack from the north, led by another tank, and the broadcasting of tank engine sounds from the
598:
The DRA garrison consisted of 900 men of the 15th
Brigade, under Colonel Sayed Rahman, supplemented by some local militias. 600 men were deployed inside the town, and the remainder in outlying outposts. The Urgun airfield, situated to the west of the town, was defended by a reinforced
651:, the fighting around Urgun still bore the hallmarks of the traditional tribal warfare of Afghanistan. It took the shape of a rapid flareup of violence, occurring in the period after the harvests and continuing during the winter. It was characterised by a lack of
1273:
1263:
493:
341:
579:(NIFA). They were joined by a certain number of freelance Pashtun mercenaries, attracted by the prospect of loot. Sayyaf managed to persuade major commanders, such as
222:
703:
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334:
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1482:
414:
327:
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124:
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632:
The attack against Urgun was part of a general offensive by the
Mujahideen in eastern Afghanistan. A concurrent attack against
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539:
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107:
83:
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644:, but quarrels over the ownership of the tanks between NIFA and HIK prevented them from being used in the battle.
508:
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546:, but despite making initial progress, they were eventually driven back and the siege was lifted.
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139:
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On
January 16, an Afghan army column broke through to Urgun, lifting the siege.
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164:
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102:
72:
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1379:
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38:
894:
652:
583:, to participate in the offensive. The mujahideen belonged to the
592:
777:
Afghan
Guerilla Warfare, in the Words of the Mujahideen Fighters
542:(the DRA). The mujahideen tried to take the town by storm using
205:
198:
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182:
173:
114:
530:. Between August 1983 and January 1984 Mujahideen forces laid
633:
535:
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64:
641:
543:
296:
538:, which was defended by a garrison of troops loyal to the
526:
was a military engagement that took place during the
636:also failed, but the insurgents managed to capture
608:the main DRA position, protecting the town itself.
771:
1449:
561:Islamic Union for the Liberation of Afghanistan
863:
704:"Afghans Said to Break Rebel Siege of a Town"
335:
870:
856:
672:
670:
668:
342:
328:
686:
684:
682:
494:Mujahideen raids inside the Soviet Union
1387:Pictures from Afghanistan (documentary)
939:Islamic Unity of Afghanistan Mujahideen
665:
1450:
698:
696:
1274:Military equipment used by Mujahideen
877:
851:
749:
679:
577:National Islamic Front of Afghanistan
349:
323:
247:666th “Air Assault” Commando Regiment
1432:
799:Islam and resistance in Afghanistan
793:
721:
693:
13:
1227:Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan
923:Democratic Republic of Afghanistan
540:Democratic Republic of Afghanistan
499:Pakistan–Soviet air confrontations
14:
1519:
1483:Sieges involving the Soviet Union
415:Kulchabat, Bala Karz and Mushkizi
1488:Battles of the Soviet–Afghan War
1431:
1422:
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1409:
254:
237:
227:
204:
197:
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172:
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113:
101:
37:
509:Afghan SCUD attacks in Pakistan
16:Battle of the Soviet–Afghan war
1279:Afghanistan War Memorial, Kyiv
801:. Cambridge University Press.
757:. London: Palgrave MacMillan.
730:
55:August 1983 – January 16, 1984
1:
743:
504:KHAD-KGB campaign in Pakistan
43:Districts of Paktika province
1478:Sieges involving Afghanistan
627:
7:
1493:History of Paktika Province
10:
1524:
1207:Battle of Arghandab (1987)
549:
1403:
1394:Bitter Lake (documentary)
1287:
1256:
1235:
1159:
1093:
1043:
997:
990:
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903:
885:
361:
314:600 killed (Soviet claim)
305:
279:
213:
147:
94:
47:
36:
28:
23:
1498:Massacres in Afghanistan
1248:Kabul students' uprising
658:
611:
956:Hezb-e Islami Gulbuddin
160:General Jamaluddin Omar
1416:Afghanistan portal
1269:War in popular culture
1264:Soviet aircraft losses
1187:Battle of Maravar Pass
775:; Grau Lester (1989).
676:Jalali and Grau, p.199
243:Afghan Commando Forces
148:Commanders and leaders
306:Casualties and losses
1359:The Living Daylights
1345:Charlie Wilson's War
1217:Battle for Hill 3234
1061:Abdullah Yusuf Azzam
1015:Konstantin Chernenko
968:Hezb-e Islami Khalis
569:Hezb-e Islami Khalis
169:Colonel Sayed Rahman
130:Hezb-e Islami Khalis
1473:1984 in Afghanistan
1468:1983 in Afghanistan
1212:Operation Magistral
1177:Panjshir offensives
1167:Operation Storm-333
1160:Military operations
1081:Burhanuddin Rabbani
1066:Gulbuddin Hekmatyar
1035:Abdul Rashid Dostum
1030:Mohammad Najibullah
834:32.9411°N 69.1800°E
830: /
223:Afghan Armed Forces
1366:The Magic Mountain
1076:Abdul Rahim Wardak
1051:Ahmad Shah Massoud
961:Maktab al-Khidamat
779:. MBI Publishing.
755:War in Afghanistan
710:. January 16, 1984
708:The New York Times
581:Jalaluddin Haqqani
178:Jalaluddin Haqqani
1463:Conflicts in 1984
1458:Conflicts in 1983
1445:
1444:
1236:Civilian protests
1197:Battles of Zhawar
1089:
1088:
1020:Mikhail Gorbachev
986:
985:
879:Soviet–Afghan War
773:Jalali, Ali Ahmad
528:Soviet–Afghan War
517:
516:
486:Soviet withdrawal
353:Soviet–Afghan War
318:
317:
202:Mawlawi Ahmad Gul
119:Afghan Mujahideen
90:
89:
31:Soviet–Afghan War
1515:
1435:
1434:
1425:
1424:
1414:
1413:
1412:
1310:Afghan Breakdown
1192:Badaber uprising
1056:Abdul Ali Mazari
995:
994:
978:Ittehad i-Islami
908:
907:
872:
865:
858:
849:
848:
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842:
841:
840:
839:32.9411; 69.1800
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395:Padkhwab-e Shana
380:Student protests
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260:Afghan Air Force
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195:Gulbaz Matiullah
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69:Paktika Province
49:
48:
41:
21:
20:
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1518:
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1508:Battles in 1984
1503:Battles in 1983
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1447:
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1441:
1410:
1408:
1399:
1352:The Kite Runner
1303:The 9th Company
1288:Films about war
1283:
1252:
1243:3 Hoot uprising
1231:
1222:Operation Arrow
1155:
1085:
1039:
1005:Leonid Brezhnev
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944:Jamiat-e Islami
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891:Afghan conflict
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311:243 surrendered
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140:Haqqani network
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1373:Peshavar Waltz
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1324:All Costs Paid
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1257:Related topics
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1202:Battle of Jaji
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1182:Siege of Urgun
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1172:Siege of Khost
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1094:Events by year
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736:Roy, p.178–179
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524:siege of Urgun
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187:Arsala Rahmani
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1010:Yuri Andropov
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973:Hezb-e Wahdat
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949:Shura-e Nazar
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808:0-521-39700-6
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647:According to
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918:Soviet Union
904:Belligerents
889:Part of the
815:
798:
795:Roy, Olivier
776:
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732:
723:
712:. Retrieved
707:
690:Urban, p.125
646:
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619:
615:
597:
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479:
465:
440:Maravar Pass
425:Baraki Barak
404:
373:
366:
112:
95:Belligerents
29:Part of the
837: /
751:Urban, Mark
649:Olivier Roy
571:(HIK), and
420:Caravan war
233:Afghan Army
108:Afghanistan
73:Afghanistan
1452:Categories
1437:Multimedia
1044:Mujahideen
932:Mujahideen
825:69°10′48″E
822:32°56′28″N
744:References
727:Roy, p.179
714:2009-05-29
1380:Rambo III
1338:Cargo 200
1331:The Beast
1317:Afghantsi
1071:Abdul Haq
628:Aftermath
605:battalion
555:parties:
472:Hill 3234
466:Magistral
460:Arghandab
367:Storm-333
1427:Category
998:Alliance
911:Alliance
895:Cold War
893:and the
797:(1990).
753:(1990).
653:strategy
595:tribes.
390:Panjshir
280:Strength
269:militias
60:Location
991:Leaders
601:company
593:Kharoti
573:Gailani
550:Prelude
445:Badaber
435:Laghman
410:Marmoul
275:Unknown
86:victory
805:
783:
761:
589:Jadran
565:Khalis
557:Sayyaf
450:Zhawar
430:Kunduz
400:Rauzdi
374:3 Hoot
80:Result
659:Notes
642:T-55s
634:Khost
612:Siege
585:Wazir
544:tanks
536:Urgun
532:siege
480:Arrow
405:Urgun
385:Khost
299:Tanks
65:Urgun
1151:1989
1146:1988
1141:1987
1136:1986
1131:1985
1126:1984
1121:1983
1116:1982
1111:1981
1106:1980
1101:1979
803:ISBN
781:ISBN
759:ISBN
638:Jaji
603:. A
591:and
522:The
455:Jaji
297:T-55
292:800+
135:NIFA
52:Date
575:'s
559:'s
285:900
267:DRA
84:DRA
1454::
706:.
695:^
681:^
667:^
587:,
567:'
563:,
295:2
71:,
67:,
871:e
864:t
857:v
811:.
789:.
767:.
717:.
343:e
336:t
329:v
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