Chapter 59

Military aircraft are fuel-guzzling monsters, often consuming several tons of fuel at a time, and air force bases need to store large amounts of fuel. Storing fuel directly on the ground is too dangerous; apart from fuel trucks, the fuel is stored underground.

The T-8 attack aircraft is about to be officially standardized, and its first deployment will be at the Jalalabad base. Therefore, the base has stored more fuel to prepare for the arrival of the new attack aircraft. As a result, hundreds of tons of fuel were ignited.

If it were just a rocket attack, the airport could still be repaired after the attack. However, with the fuel ignited, the entire base was completely destroyed by the intense explosion. The entire base's lower geological structure has changed, and it has been thoroughly devastated.

Moreover, with the fuel ignited, the area is now a sea of fire. It is only a matter of time before the ammunition stored in the weapon depots is also detonated.

Muhammad returned to his own people, turned his head to look at the raging fire, and was very satisfied with today's results.

Originally, Muhammad was still skeptical about the effectiveness of the twenty rockets, as they were only 107 millimeters in caliber and had limited power. However, after the secondary explosion, the results were more than satisfactory.

Muhammad mounted his horse and waved to his subordinates. The entire squad quickly disappeared into the fields, leaving only hoof prints behind.

Thirty minutes later, the Jalalabad troops rushed from the city to the scene. What they saw was still a sky full of fire and smoke. The ammunition had already exploded, and the entire air force base had become a wasteland.

Facing the scene, Colonel Sergei, the commander of the 117th Regiment of the 108th Division of the 40th Army, had a serious expression.

This was his defense zone, and those damned guerrillas had actually destroyed the airport! This was a military base, the most heavily defended place!

Now, the entire Afghanistan region has been pacified, with only small groups of Afghan guerrillas still active, which are not a significant threat. On the surface, Afghanistan is firmly under the control of the Soviet army. However, the bombing of the military airport today indicates that the Afghan guerrillas have formed a powerful force. If they dare to attack the airport today, they might dare to attack Jalalabad tomorrow!

This is absolutely unacceptable!

"Call Ilyich over!" Sergei said through gritted teeth.

The base was attacked by guerrillas, and the base commander Ilyich bears the greatest responsibility!

"Report, Ilyich has been killed. He was burned to death in the command tower," a guard said after a long pause.

Ilyich is dead? Sergei was stunned. The base was attacked to this extent, with heavy losses, including over a dozen aircraft, especially the Il-76 transport plane, which carried elite KGB forces. The Moscow authorities would be furious. Even if Ilyich were alive, he would face a military tribunal. Now that he is dead, he can leave something for his family, like a hero's medal.

If he were alive, he would be taken back to Moscow for trial, but now that he is dead, he will be portrayed as a hero, a brave warrior who defended the air force base. This would help cover up the Soviet army's incompetence.

With Ilyich dead, the responsibility falls on him.

"Report, General Kurikov of the division is flying from Bagram to Jalalabad and is expected to arrive in half an hour," the communications officer reported to Sergei.

The division commander is coming! After the attack on the air force base, the division commander immediately flew over, showing great concern for the situation. Sergei knew he had to figure out the truth within the next half hour and report to the division commander. Otherwise, even if he blamed everything on Ilyich, the division commander's anger would still be directed at him.

In the sky, three helicopters roared. The two in front and back were Mi-24 Hind helicopters painted with eagles, armed with rockets and missiles. They were providing escort. In the middle was a Mi-8 medium helicopter.

Amid the roar, a middle-aged man in the cabin cast a sharp gaze over the barren land, mountains, and occasional donkey carts below. There was no economic benefit here, only military significance. This area gave the Soviet Union a passage to the Indian Ocean, breaking the American encirclement in Western Europe!

Wrinkles had begun to appear on his face. As the commander of the 108th Division, he had strategic vision and tactical command skills. He led the 108th Division into Kabul and later transferred to Bagram.

Bagram is 50 kilometers north of Kabul and 11 kilometers south of Charikar, the capital of Parwan Province. There is a large air force base here, which the Soviet Union uses as a major military base. It has a runway over 3,000 meters long, and many military supplies are transported from here. The headquarters of the 108th Division is also located here. In the future, it became an important military base for the U.S. forces in Afghanistan, housing half of the U.S. troops.

In comparison, the airport in northern Jalalabad is a small forward base. Initially, it didn't even have a runway and could only accommodate helicopters. It was only later that a simple runway was built.

Kurikov gazed into the distance. In the fading light of the sunset, smoke was rising from the ground.

"Fly over and take a look," Kurikov said, knowing that this was the location of the Jalalabad air force base.

The fire had been extinguished, but the smoke still rose, and the area was a wasteland. The most noticeable was the massive wreckage of the Il-76. Seeing this, Kurikov felt a sharp pain in his heart.

Over a hundred elite soldiers were on board! They were KGB elites, but they died on the plane before even setting foot on Afghan soil. If he had known, he would have strongly recommended that they land in Bagram and then travel to Jalalabad by infantry fighting vehicles.

Kurikov suddenly couldn't control his emotions, and his nose began to sting.

"General..." Seeing Kurikov's eyes turn red and tears streaming down his face, the division chief of staff, Belgrade, was surprised. How could the division commander be like this? As a commander, even if all the soldiers were killed, he couldn't shed tears. Blood and sweat, not tears!

"It's nothing," Kurikov tried to calm himself, but he couldn't stop thinking about his son's tall and handsome figure.

Before the transport plane arrived, the A-Unit's information was passed to the 108th Division to facilitate coordination. Kurikov saw his son's name on the list; he was the commander of this A-Unit mission!

The KGB was highly classified, and this was the first time Kurikov learned that his son, Krymikov, was already a Soviet colonel and had been through many battles!

Now, with the crash of the transport plane, he has gone to another world, his soul ascending to heaven...

Therefore, when he heard about the attack, Kurikov immediately decided to come from the division headquarters!

"Land at the airport," Kurikov suddenly said.

"General, it's dangerous here. The Afghan guerrillas have just attacked. If we land here, we can't guarantee your safety," Belgrade said.

"The Afghan guerrillas have already fled after the attack. They wouldn't stay here," Kurikov said. "As the commander of the 108th Division, I am responsible for this, and I must come to the scene."

Kurikov's orders could not be disobeyed. The helicopter turned and headed toward the airport. One Hind helicopter circled the airport, while the other landed, and the infantry squad came down to secure the area. Only then did the Mi-8 helicopter land.

Seeing the Mi-8 helicopter land, Sergei knew the division commander had arrived. He was planning to return to Jalalabad to wait for the division commander, but he didn't expect the division commander to come here!

The rotor's airflow stirred the ground, and yellow dust flew everywhere. The cabin door opened, and the serious-faced Kurikov stepped out.

"Report to the division commander, Colonel Sergei of the 117th Regiment is here to greet you," Sergei saluted, his gaze fixed on the serious division commander.

Kurikov casually returned the salute and asked, "Why was the base attacked by guerrillas, and why did it result in such heavy losses? Have you investigated it clearly?"

If the division commander had arrived five minutes earlier, Sergei wouldn't have been able to answer. Just now, he found a survivor and learned what happened, and after a thorough inspection of the area, he confirmed the details.

"The base's defenses were flawless, and the area within five kilometers was the safest," Sergei said. "This time, the Afghan guerrillas attacked us from a distance of eight kilometers."

Eight kilometers? Kurikov asked, "How is that possible? Did they use artillery?"

"Not artillery, but 107mm rockets, which conducted a saturation attack," Sergei said. "In the Vietnam War, the Vietnamese used 107mm rockets to attack American forces. I suspect the Afghan guerrillas received help from a certain country in the East."

107mm rockets? Following Sergei, Kurikov went to the crude launch platform, which was already charred and unrecognizable from the rocket launch.

Looking east, Kurikov's face twisted into a cruel smile. He silently lit a cigar and took a deep puff.