Chapter 28

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In the initial battle, Muhamed captured thirty tank grenades. These grenades were all modified into roadside bombs, which were incredibly powerful. Just one of them, when detonated under an armored vehicle, could flip the vehicle over.

Now, to deal with the tanks, Muhamed placed two grenades together, burying them twenty meters apart, which was exactly the distance between Soviet tanks as they moved. He set up over a dozen such roadside bombs.

When the Soviets first entered the mountains, Muhamed did not do this because he did not know their route. There were many paths into the mountains, and the Soviets had local guides. Saha, who was familiar with the area, would help the Soviets find more suitable routes.

Now, when the Soviets left infantry fighting vehicles as bait, Muhamed knew their next move. They would definitely center their operations here and set up a包围圈 (surrounding circle) around it. Once his side entered, they would be crushed by the Soviets' superior forces.

Especially after learning the direction of the Soviet advance, Muhamed determined their route and pre-emptively laid the roadside bombs, waiting for the Soviets to come.

The setup was rushed and, from a professional perspective, had many flaws. If it were the U.S. military, who had fought in Afghanistan for years, they would have noticed the vulnerabilities. However, the Soviets were completely unprepared.

The Soviet tactics were rigid and inflexible. It took them years to learn how to fight in mountainous terrain, realizing that tanks were useless and that infantry support was more important. Now, relying solely on tank units to advance in the mountains was simply courting death.

Watching the tanks slowly advance into the roadside bombs, Muhamed inwardly lamented the Soviets' stupidity. They were acting exactly as he had predicted.

Once all the tanks were in the trap, Muhamed lightly pressed the button, and the connected roadside bombs were instantly detonated.

A massive explosion erupted from the ground, a fiery inferno from hell. The placement of the roadside bombs was perfect, and all the tanks were destroyed in the explosion. Some were flipped over, their gun barrels bent from the impact. Others were only partially destroyed, with their tracks blown off, and the crew inside dazed and disoriented.

Even the two infantry fighting vehicles that followed closely behind were destroyed.

The scene after the explosion was spectacular, but Muhamed was still somewhat dissatisfied. If he had more roadside bombs, the infantry fighting vehicles would have been destroyed as well.

Only five infantry fighting vehicles remained. After a brief moment of hesitation, they discovered the guerrillas on a hillside and charged up the hill at full speed.

Seeing the infantry fighting vehicles charging towards Muhamed and his men, Durani on the other hillside swallowed hard. "Soviets, you'll see the power of our guerrillas!"

Durani, who had just set up the heavy machine gun, pulled the trigger calmly.

"Rat-tat-tat, rat-tat-tat." With each pull of Durani's finger, bullets flew.

An experienced machine gunner would not use continuous fire, as it wasted ammunition and was less effective. Three-round bursts were the most suitable.

After the morning battle, Durani had become even more proficient with the machine gun, as if it were an extension of his body, hitting wherever he aimed.

Moreover, Durani knew the weak spots of the infantry fighting vehicles: the front engine!

Several bullets tore through the armor and flew into the engine. Instantly, the roaring engine sputtered and stopped.

The other two heavy machine guns also opened fire, and the five infantry fighting vehicles, like those in the morning, were completely disabled.

The soldiers inside the vehicles emerged, only to face another barrage of bullets.

In terms of numbers, the guerrillas were still at a disadvantage, but the Soviets were caught off guard and were very passive. Muhamed's guerrillas, positioned on higher ground, were in high spirits.

With half an hour, Muhamed could clear out all the Soviets and move the spoils of war. Unfortunately, the battle had only lasted two minutes when Muhamed's expression changed.

In the distance, the sound of rumbling could be heard.

"Retreat immediately," Muhamed said.

The Soviets had too many advantages. Besides their advanced weapons on the ground, they also had helicopters that could appear at any moment.

Hearing Muhamed's order, all the guerrillas quickly gathered their weapons and retreated. They had already chosen their escape route and ran into another valley, disappearing into the narrow paths.

The battle was over. Sirovich stood up beside the overturned tank, looking at the scattered and damaged tanks. Only two were lightly damaged and could be repaired; the rest were useless.

Tank crew members emerged from the tanks, holding short AK-74 rifles. The recent battle had left them very tense.

Inside the tanks, the air was filled with the smell of blood. Not everyone had survived; many tank crew members had suffered internal injuries and died from internal bleeding.

The enemy, at most, consisted of only thirty or so guerrillas! Despite not daring to stick his head out, Sirovich had deduced from the gunfire that there were three heavy machine guns, two light machine guns, a dozen automatic rifles, and a sniper rifle. Who were these guerrillas? How could they have such powerful firepower? Especially with those landmines, looking at the large craters on the ground, Sirovich felt incredibly lucky to be alive.

Over twenty Soviet soldiers were killed, and more than fifty were injured. The vehicles were also lost. This sweep operation, which had only been going for two days, was almost a complete failure.

To return like this? No, absolutely not! Sirovich gritted his teeth. "Tank company, repair the tanks here. Mechanized infantry company, follow me! Motorized infantry company, government forces, assemble here!"

Chase, chase those guerrilla scum! Now, with helicopters in the sky, those hateful Afghan guerrillas would have nowhere to run!

Sirovich, holding an AK-74, led over thirty Soviet soldiers in pursuit.

Others came to Afghanistan because of military orders. They were part of the 40th Army, sent to Afghanistan by Moscow. Those with connections in the higher ranks had even been transferred away. Only Sirovich, after the war broke out, had repeatedly petitioned to be transferred to the 40th Army and enter Afghanistan.

Sirovich came from a military family. His father had fought in World War II, and he admired him. Unfortunately, after joining the military, it was the Cold War, and there were no real battles. Now, with the fighting in Afghanistan, his blood was boiling. He wanted to fight and prove his worth on the battlefield!

Unfortunately, this sweep operation had not eliminated a single guerrilla, and he had suffered significant losses. The wound on his arm started bleeding again, but he did not feel the pain, only anger!

"Our casualties are significant," a pilot of a Mi-8 helicopter observed from the sky. The scene below looked like a tank battle, with over a dozen tanks and armored vehicles out of commission.

"At three o'clock, several guerrillas entered the valley," the weapons operator in the front cabin reported.

"We'll avenge Sirovich," the pilot said, pushing the control stick, and the helicopter flew towards the valley.

The landscape was a mix of yellow and gray, with sparse vegetation, making observation difficult.

The guerrillas who had just fled had already disappeared.

The Mi-8 pilot lowered the flight altitude and circled back to search.

"Hey, Tveev, be careful, don't fly too low. Don't forget the helicopter we lost a few days ago," the weapons operator immediately warned.

The Afghan guerrillas did not have effective means to counter helicopters, but when they flew into their dense fire, the Mi-8 was still at risk.

"Don't worry, I'm prepared. Slock, prepare the rockets," the pilot said.

During the initial pass, the pilot had noticed a cave in the valley. The guerrillas might have hidden inside.

The helicopter flew low, the rotor blades stirring up the air, almost touching the ground. As it passed, a piece of ground cover suddenly lifted, revealing a gun butt.

"Aga, be careful, you're going to get us killed," a nearby voice whispered in anger.

"Boom, boom, boom." At that moment, smoke billowed from the helicopter's wings, and rockets launched from the rocket pods, flying towards the nearby cave.

Aga quietly hid back under the camouflage net. It was too close, but fortunately, he had followed the instructor's orders and did not hide in the cave.

Camouflage is a specialized skill. For example, an excellent sniper would have a ghillie suit that blended perfectly with the surroundings, making them invisible even if someone walked by.

Here, the landscape was mostly mountainous, with bare hills and little vegetation, except for some crops near the rivers. When Muhamed trained the guerrillas, he specifically made special camouflage nets that matched the ground color, making them indistinguishable from the sky.

Camouflage is an essential art for modern special forces. When they ran into the valley, knowing they could not avoid the helicopters, they immediately put on the camouflage nets. The helicopters in the sky did not detect them.

Muhamed disagreed with hiding in the cave. It seemed safe but was actually the most dangerous.

Damn it, those guys from the sky, one day I'll take you all down! Muhamed, lying on the ground under the camouflage net, thought angrily.