Siege of Urgun
Encyclopedia
The Siege of Urgun was a military engagement that took place during the Soviet war in Afghanistan
. Between August 1983 and January 1984 Mujahideen forces laid siege
to the town of Urgun
, that was defended by a garrison of troops loyal to the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan
. The mujahideen tried to take the town by storm using tank
s, but despite making initial progress, they were eventually driven back and the siege was lifted.
's Islamic Union for the Liberation of Afghanistan
, Khalis' Hezb-e Islami Khalis (HIK), and Gailani
's National Islamic Front of Afghanistan (NIFA). They were joined by a certain number of freelance Pashtun tribesmen, attracted by the prospect of loot. Sayyaf managed to persuade major commanders, such as Jalaluddin Haqqani
, to participate in the offensive. The mujahideen belonged to the Wazir
, Jadran
and Kharoti
tribes.
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 company
. A battalion
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 kilometre (0.93205910497471 mi) to the north of Urgun, protecting the main road leading into the town. An old fort, known as the Octogonal fort, served as the main DRA position, protecting the town itself.
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 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 machineguns 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 octogonal 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.
On January 16, an Afghan army column broke through to Urgun, lifting the siege.
also failed, but the insurgents managed to capture Jaji
. 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 T-55
s, but quarrels over the ownership of the tanks between NIFA and HIK prevented them from being used in the battle.
According to Olivier Roy, 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 strategy
, 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.
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...
. Between August 1983 and January 1984 Mujahideen forces laid siege
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...
to the town of Urgun
Urgun District
Urgun is a district of the remote Paktika Province in Afghanistan.-Administrative seat:The administrative seat of this district is the like-named town/village of Urgun, also known as Urgun-e Kalan, meaning "Greater Urgun".-History:...
, that was defended by a garrison of troops loyal to the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan
Republic of Afghanistan
Republic of Afghanistan was the official state government of Mohammed Daoud Khan from 1973 to 1978. Daoud Khan became Afghanistan's first President in 1973 after he deposed Mohammad Zahir Shah in a non-violent coup...
. The mujahideen tried to take the town by storm using tank
Tank
A tank is a tracked, armoured fighting vehicle designed for front-line combat which combines operational mobility, tactical offensive, and defensive capabilities...
s, but despite making initial progress, they were eventually driven back and the siege was lifted.
Prelude
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 different parties: SayyafAbdul Rasul Sayyaf
Ustad Abdul Rab Rasul Sayyaf is an Afghan Islamist politician. He took part in the war against the PDPA government in the 1980s, leading the Mujahedin faction Islamic Union for the Liberation of Afghanistan....
's Islamic Union for the Liberation of Afghanistan
Islamic Union for the Liberation of Afghanistan
The Islamic Dawah Organization of Afghanistan is a political party in Afghanistan led by Abdul Rasul Sayyaf. Founded in the early 1980s as the Islamic Union for the Liberation of Afghanistan , it was originally an attempt to bring unity amongst Islamist opposition forces in Afghanistan...
, Khalis' Hezb-e Islami Khalis (HIK), and Gailani
Ahmed Gailani
Pir Sayyid Ahmed Gailani , is the leader of the Qadiriyyah Sufi order in Afghanistan, and the founder of the National Islamic Front of Afghanistan , a party that was associated with the Mujahideen who led the war against the Soviet Union in the 1980s...
's National Islamic Front of Afghanistan (NIFA). They were joined by a certain number of freelance Pashtun tribesmen, attracted by the prospect of loot. Sayyaf managed to persuade major commanders, such as 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...
, to participate in the offensive. The mujahideen belonged to the Wazir
Wazir (tribe)
Wazirs or Waziris are a Pashtun tribe settled in the North Waziristan and South Waziristan agencies of Pakistan as well in the urban cities of Tank, F.R Bannu,i.e Domel and adjacent villages, Karachi and Lahore. Across the border, they can also be found in Paktia, Khost and Paktika provinces of...
, Jadran
Zadran tribe
The Zadran or Dzadranr is a tribe within the Pashtun ethnic group, originating in the "Dzadran arc" of Afghanistan, which includes the Wazi Zadran, Shwak and Gerda Serai districts of Paktia, Nika, Zaruk, Gayan and Urgun districts of Paktika, and parts of Qalandar, Nadar Shah Kot and Spira districts...
and Kharoti
Kharoti
Kharoti is a Pashtun tribe of Ghilzai origin. The tribe has an estimated population of about 2.5 million ....
tribes.
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 company
Company (military unit)
A company is a military unit, typically consisting of 80–225 soldiers and usually commanded by a Captain, Major or Commandant. Most companies are formed of three to five platoons although the exact number may vary by country, unit type, and structure...
. A battalion
Battalion
A battalion is a military unit of around 300–1,200 soldiers usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by either a Lieutenant Colonel or a Colonel...
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 kilometre (0.93205910497471 mi) to the north of Urgun, protecting the main road leading into the town. An old fort, known as the Octogonal fort, served as the main DRA position, protecting the town itself.
Siege
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 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.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 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 machineguns 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 octogonal 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.
On January 16, an Afghan army column broke through to Urgun, lifting the siege.
Aftermath
The attack against Urgun was part of a general offensive by the mujahideen in eastern Afghanistan. A concurrent attack against 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...
also failed, but the insurgents managed to capture Jaji
Jaji Maydan District
Jaji Maydan District is located in the northeastern part of Khost Province, Afghanistan. It borders Bak District to the west, Paktia Province to the north and Pakistan to the north and east. The population is 21,400 . The district center is the village of Jaji Maydan, situated in the eastern part...
. 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 T-55
T-55
The T-54 and T-55 tanks were a series of main battle tanks designed in the Soviet Union. The first T-54 prototype appeared in March 1945, just before the end of the Second World War. The T-54 entered full production in 1947 and became the main tank for armored units of the Soviet Army, armies of...
s, but quarrels over the ownership of the tanks between NIFA and HIK prevented them from being used in the battle.
According to Olivier Roy, 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 strategy
Strategy
Strategy, a word of military origin, refers to a plan of action designed to achieve a particular goal. In military usage strategy is distinct from tactics, which are concerned with the conduct of an engagement, while strategy is concerned with how different engagements are linked...
, 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.