Siege of Khost
Encyclopedia
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 offensive launched to relieve it at end of 1987. The first convoys reached Khost end of December 1987. When the main Soviet force had withdrawn, Mujahideen groups cut off Khost once again, as they had done since 1981.
Following the creation of the Commander's Shura, which united the Peshawar Seven and assault was coordinated to capture Khost, an assault which at least according to former special envoy to the Mujahideen Peter Tomsen
was more an ISI operation than a mujahideen one. This fighting was a co-ordinate attack by the forces of Hezb-e Islami of Gulbuddin Hekmatyar
, Jalaluddin Haqqani
and local Ahmadzai tribes lead by Mohammad Nabi Mohammadi
. The Ahmadzai were able to spearhead the assault after Hezb-e Islam and Haqqania suffered setbacks, and eventually able to capture the city and negotiate the surrender of the garrison resulting in victory on April 11th, 1991.
Siege
A siege is a military blockade of a city or fortress with the intent of conquering by attrition or assault. The term derives from sedere, Latin for "to sit". Generally speaking, siege warfare is a form of constant, low intensity conflict characterized by one party holding a strong, static...
of Khost: during the nine-year 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...
in the 1980s and the subsequent Afghan civil war, the town of Khost
Khost
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...
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
Operation Magistral
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.- The early operation :...
was an offensive launched to relieve it at end of 1987. The first convoys reached Khost end of December 1987. When the main Soviet force had withdrawn, Mujahideen groups cut off Khost once again, as they had done since 1981.
Following the creation of the Commander's Shura, which united the Peshawar Seven and assault was coordinated to capture Khost, an assault which at least according to former special envoy to the Mujahideen Peter Tomsen
Peter Tomsen
Peter Tomsen is a retired American diplomat and educator, serving as United States Special Envoy to Afghanistan from 1989 to 1992, and United States Ambassador to Armenia between 1995 and 1998...
was more an ISI operation than a mujahideen one. This fighting was a co-ordinate attack by the forces of Hezb-e Islami of Gulbuddin Hekmatyar
Gulbuddin Hekmatyar
Gulbuddin Hekmatyar is an Afghan Mujahideen leader who is the founder and leader of the Hezb-e Islami political party and paramilitary group. Hekmatyar was a rebel military commander during the 1980s Soviet war in Afghanistan and was one of the key figures in the civil war that followed the...
, 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...
and local Ahmadzai tribes lead by Mohammad Nabi Mohammadi
Mohammad Nabi Mohammadi
Maulana Mohammad Nabi Mohammadi was an Afghan politician who served as Vice President of Afghanistan under the Mujahideen from 1992 to about 1996.-Biography:...
. The Ahmadzai were able to spearhead the assault after Hezb-e Islam and Haqqania suffered setbacks, and eventually able to capture the city and negotiate the surrender of the garrison resulting in victory on April 11th, 1991.