Operation Magistral
Part of theSoviet–Afghan War
Date 19 November 1987 – 10 January 1988 Location Paktia Province,Afghanistan Result DRA–Soviet victory
Belligerents
Soviet Union Afghanistan	Haqqani network
Commanders and leaders
Boris Gromov Shahnawaz Tanai	Jalaluddin Haqqani
Units involved
40th Army 108th Motor Rifle Division 201st Motor Rifle Division 103rd Guards Airborne Division 56th Air Assault Brigade 345th Airborne Regiment Afghan Army 8th Infantry Division 11th Infantry Division 12th Infantry Division 14th Infantry Division 25th Infantry Division 15th Tank Brigade Afghan Commando Forces KHAD-e-Nezami 212th Special Purpose Battalion	Unknown
Strength
20,000 8,000	9,000–20,000 10 MRLs
Casualties and losses
24 killed 56 wounded[1] 300 killed 700 wounded[2]	300+ killed[3]

Operation Magistral (Russian:Операция «Магистраль») was aSoviet Army military operation during theSoviet–Afghan War that began in late November 1987 and ended in early January 1988.

The operation was launched to open the road - hence its name, from the Russian word for magistral road (highway) - fromGardez toKhost that had been blocked byMujahideen forces and a local tribe for several months, in order to deliver supplies to the population and Afghan government troops in thebesieged city on theAfghan–Pakistani border.

The offensive was carried out by the108th Motor Rifle Division and201st Motor Rifle Division of the Soviet40th Army, the103rd Guards Airborne Division, the345th Airborne Regiment and the56th Airborne Brigade, and severalSpetsnaz units. TheDemocratic 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-GeneralShahnawaz Tanai.^[4]

The ground offensive began after weeks of failed negotiations with theJadran tribe and Mujahideen commanderJalaluddin 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 inKabul.

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 19 November 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 were airlifted into Shabak Khel valley. Heavy fighting also broke out in the neighbouring Kanai valley where DRA troops advanced slowly but surely, building defensive outposts as they went, and suffering from punishing Mujahideen counter-attacks that inflicted heavy losses.^[5]

The Sata-Kandow 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 Sata-Kandow, the Mujahideen deployed tenBM-12multiple rocket launchers, and placed ZGU-1^[6] anti-aircraft guns on every height. They had a plentiful supply ofDShK machine guns, 75 and 82 mmrecoilless rifles, andRPG-7 anti-tank rocket launchers. They alsomined the opening of the pass to a depth of three kilometers, boasting that their position was impregnable.^[7]

Following the failure of the negotiations, an attack was launched on 28 November. In order to discover the enemy positions, Soviet Colonel GeneralBoris Gromov ordered thatdummy paratroopers be dropped near the pass. When the Mujahideen opened fire, Sovietreconnaissance aircraft were able to pinpoint their positions and direct airstrikes against them. This was followed by a four-hourartillerybarrage.

The first ground attack was carried out on 29 November by a motorised rifle regiment. The attack quickly bogged down under heavy fire and Mujahideen counter-attacks, and the Soviet force withdrew after suffering severe casualties.^[8]

On Gromov's orders, a new attack was launched on 1 December this time with anAirborne battalion and a battalion of theAfghan Commando Forces. 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.^[9]

The Soviet forces then launched several airborne attacks, though they were limited in this by the Mujahideen use ofStinger missiles. In a night attack, an airborne brigade was flown in by helicopters 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, realised that a conventional defence 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.^[10]

Despite this, the Soviet armoured columns made a slow but regular progress, entering Khost on 30 December.^[10] Soviet and DRA outposts were maintained to keep the Gardez-Khost road open, but were withdrawn at the end of January.

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 theGeneva Accords the Soviet Union became committed to withdrawing its forces from Afghanistan.

Some of the events of the operation were used for the plot of the filmThe 9th Company.The Truth About 9th Company documentarycomputer game is dedicated to theBattle for Hill 3234, which occurred during Operation Magistral.

• Grau, Lester;The Bear Went Over the Mountain: Soviet Combat Tactics in Afghanistan; FRANK CASS;ISBN 0-7146-4413-7
• Isby, David (1989).War in a Distant Country, Afghanistan: Invasion and Resistance. Arms and Armour Press.ISBN 0-85368-769-2.
• Jalali, Ali Ahmad; Grau Lester (1989).Afghan Guerrilla Warfare, in the Words of the Mujahideen Fighters. MBI.ISBN 0-7603-1322-9.

• Gromov, Boris(1994);Limited Contingent[1]; Progress Publishing House; Moscow.

• Gromov, Boris."Operation Magistral (in Russian)". ralex.com.ru. Archived fromthe original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved13 August 2007.

33°36′00″N69°30′00″E / 33.6000°N 69.5000°E /33.6000; 69.5000

• Military operations involving the Soviet Union
• Battles involving Afghanistan
• Battles of the Soviet–Afghan War
• History of Paktia Province
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