Chapter 58

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The captain of the Il-76 transport aircraft was calmly operating the plane, the landing gear had been lowered, and the massive transport aircraft had entered the correct descent path.

Inside the fuselage, the soldiers of Unit A had already begun to prepare, stretching their muscles. After landing, they would immediately board the Mi-8 helicopters and head into the mountains to encircle and suppress the guerrillas.

Krimikov was inspecting his firearm, an AK-74U with a folding stock, which gleamed with a metallic luster. It seemed to know it was about to re-enter the battlefield, and the weapon itself began to tremble slightly, as if excited.

"Boom!" At that moment, a sound exploded in his ears.

Following that, a large hole suddenly appeared in the rear of the cargo hold, and scorching flames swept in, making everyone's hair stand on end.

A Stinger missile had penetrated the rear of the transport aircraft, blowing open the skin and causing a hydraulic oil pipe to leak, igniting a massive fire.

When the captain heard the loud explosion, he knew the situation was dire. The rear of the aircraft began to sink, disrupting the previously smooth descent. He pushed the control stick forward, but the aircraft no longer responded.

"Mechanical failure, prepare for an emergency landing!" the captain shouted, but the radio was filled with static, and he could no longer hear the ground.

The captain used every method at his disposal to control the transport aircraft, but it still veered to one side, and the underside of the fuselage scraped the ground.

The last sound the captain heard was the screams of the Unit A soldiers. In the violent impact, he also lost consciousness.

Ground support vehicles rushed over, only to see the Il-76's fuselage engulfed in a towering inferno.

Muhamed had just launched the missile and hadn't even had time to admire the spectacular scene when he heard Durani's urgent shout: "Instructor, take cover!"

Then, Muhamed heard the sound of machine guns.

"Rat-tat-tat." A burst of bullets hit the ground near Muhamed, who immediately crouched down and rolled nimbly behind a rock.

It was a BMP infantry fighting vehicle! After firing a burst of bullets, it stopped, and then the rear door opened, and several Soviet soldiers jumped out.

The first soldier to jump out suddenly stiffened, a blood hole appearing in his chest. As his feet touched the ground, he fell and could no longer move.

Sniper! There was a guerrilla sniper in the distance! The soldiers behind couldn't stop themselves and jumped out, and almost simultaneously, several more were hit. They hurriedly jumped back into the armored vehicle, some lying on the ground, dead or alive.

Seizing the opportunity, Muhamed gritted his teeth and said, "Withdraw!"

According to Muhamed's orders, after the Stinger was launched, the 107mm rockets should have been fired, but now, a minute had passed, and Osama had not ignited the rockets, clearly fearing friendly fire.

Muhamed jumped out from behind the rock and ran back quickly, with Durani and Aga following closely behind. The three ran swiftly.

At that moment, the cannon of the BMP infantry fighting vehicle slowly raised, aiming to fire a 73mm high-explosive shell at them.

If one shell hit, the three would be obliterated. The infantry fighting vehicle's commander was enraged; these three guerrillas had shot down a transport aircraft, a grave offense!

"Boom." At that moment, a distant boom was heard.

With the boom, a TOW anti-tank missile flew from afar, its long body, extended tail fins, and fiery exhaust giving it a formidable presence as it approached the BMP infantry fighting vehicle.

"Boom!" At that moment, the smoothbore cannon of the infantry fighting vehicle fired a shell, which shot towards the fleeing three.

Just as the infantry fighting vehicle fired, the commander noticed the incoming missile and broke out in a cold sweat. Were these guerrillas? They were more like a well-equipped regular army!

In the distance, Herman's eyes were fixed on the sight, the crosshairs firmly locked on the infantry fighting vehicle. The TOW missile's tail continuously released a wire, transmitting signals to control the missile's flight.

This was a semi-active guided missile. Semi-active meant the missile had some autonomy, unlike first-generation missiles, which required the operator to control the flight direction manually. The missile's flight was automatically controlled as long as the crosshairs were on the target. However, the operator could not leave until the missile hit the target, lacking the fire-and-forget capability.

The missile used a wire-guided system, continuously releasing a wire to transmit guidance signals, making it highly resistant to interference.

"Boom!" The TOW missile's shaped charge warhead easily penetrated the BMP's thin armor, not needing to drill deep or generate a metal jet. The missile's speed alone tore open the armor, and the metal jet shot into the interior of the infantry fighting vehicle.

In that instant, the interior of the armored vehicle was filled with metal jets, capable of piercing human bodies and causing immense pain before death.

This lasted only a moment, and then the entire armored vehicle turned into a fireball. The internal ammunition exploded, and the vehicle disintegrated into several pieces, flying in all directions.

At that moment, the shell was also flying towards Muhamed and the others.

Hearing the whistling of the shell as it sliced through the air, Muhamed knew there was no way to avoid it. Just as he was about to take cover, he saw a small pit ahead.

It was the perfect opportunity!

"Jump in!" Muhamed shouted, pulling Durani and Aga down with him.

"Boom!" The shell exploded almost right beside them, sending shrapnel flying in all directions, some of which hit the pit where they were hiding.

Durani felt a sharp pain in his shoulder as a piece of shrapnel embedded itself there.

Muhamed heard the shrapnel hit his helmet with a clear, ringing sound, making his head feel numb. Fortunately, the shrapnel hit the helmet.

"Run!" Muhamed shouted again, leaping out of the pit.

Aga followed, and Durani, holding his shoulder, was last.

"Are you injured?" Muhamed asked.

Durani didn't speak; the blood flowing from his shoulder said it all.

Muhamed bent down, using his arms and back to lift Durani onto his shoulder and continued running back.

Seeing the three survive the shell attack, the guerrillas on this side let out a joyful cheer. At this moment, Osama finally connected the wire to the battery.

Electricity flowed through the wire to the rocket's tail, and instantly, the rocket was launched, its tail spewing flames and smoke as it shot into the sky.

Twenty rockets almost simultaneously shot into the sky.

The entire launch site was enveloped in thick smoke, and even the guerrillas were coughing from the fumes.

In the sky, the twenty rockets, trailing flames, drew beautiful arcs as they flew towards the airfield.

There, everyone was busy rescuing the crashed Il-76 transport aircraft. When the rockets flew in, everyone was stunned, their minds blank, with only one thought emerging.

Katyusha!

The Soviet Union had always favored artillery. During World War II, when the Soviet Union counterattacked, the Katyusha rocket launchers inflicted massive losses and psychological pressure on the German army. Rocket launchers, as area-effect weapons, were different from ordinary artillery. When a barrage of rockets flew in, there was no place to hide in a shell crater, as no two shells would land in the same spot. When the Katyusha rockets flew in, the entire area would be a sea of fire, leaving a trail of death and destruction.

When did these Afghan guerrillas, these country bumpkins, get rocket launchers? Multi-barrel rocket launchers, no less?

As they were stunned, an officer reacted: "Run, get to the hangar!"

There were no air defense shelters here, as the Soviet Union firmly controlled the airspace. The only solid structure was the hangar, built with reinforced concrete.

Countless Soviet soldiers scattered, running towards the hangar at the back.

Unfortunately, it was too late. The rockets flew in in just a few seconds.

"Boom!" A 107mm rocket first hit the ground, followed by an explosion. The 8-kilogram warhead created a large crater, and shrapnel flew in all directions. The nearest Mi-8 helicopter was immediately hit by shrapnel and caught fire.

"Boom, boom, boom!" The explosions continued, and all twenty rockets landed within a second of each other, turning the entire airfield into a sea of fire.

The site where the Il-76 had crashed was hit by two rockets, and in the explosions, dozens of ground crew were torn to pieces.

Fire and smoke were everywhere, turning the area into a hell on earth.

A small flame hissed on the ground. A Soviet ground crew member, who had survived the explosion and stood up, saw the flame and suddenly changed color.

No! No! He shouted, trying to find something nearby to extinguish the fire. Unfortunately, before he could find anything suitable, a more intense explosion erupted from the ground.

"Boom!" The explosion lifted the nearby ground, causing violent tremors that could be felt even in the city of Jalalabad.

The underground fuel tank had exploded!

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