Chapter 83

"Brake!" the tank commander shouted loudly, and even without the intercom, the drivers in front could hear him clearly.

The two control levers were pulled back forcefully by the driver. As he pulled, the brake drums on both sides of the active wheels were tightly engaged, producing a sound that made everyone's ears ring. At the same time, the massive vehicle came to a sudden stop with a loud bang.

Amidst the black smoke, the missile was already right in front of them. The tank crew inside prepared for the worst.

If hit by an anti-tank missile, the tank crew would have no chance of survival. When the shaped charge of the missile forms a jet, it is the end for the tank crew.

There was no sound of impact. This second felt like an eternity.

They had evaded the missile's attack! The Soviet tank crew inside couldn't help but shout in relief after narrowly escaping death.

Unfortunately, just as the words left their mouths, a soft sound came from behind the turret.

"Click." It was like a mosquito bite, and this sound instantly made all the tank crew members lose their composure.

RPG!

When the RPG's warhead made contact with the turret, a powerful metal jet formed at the front. This jet penetrated the turret's armor and entered the vehicle in less than a second. The jet hit the commander's position, and in an instant, the commander's body was pierced by the metal jet, his face still showing a look of surprise, and his body was already immobilized.

The other crew members watched as the commander was instantly penetrated by the jet. They smelled the scent of burnt meat and saw the metal jet penetrate the front gun mount.

"No!" the gunner shouted, trying to activate the fire suppression and explosion prevention system, but it was too late.

"Boom!" A massive explosion filled their vision, and they felt countless fragments piercing their bodies. In the next moment, they lost consciousness.

"Boom!" The tank's interior exploded, forcefully lifting the turret into the air. Flames spewed from the bottom of the vehicle and continued to burn.

Around them, several tanks were destroyed in the explosions.

Five TOW missiles were launched; one missed, and four hit. Over a dozen RPGs were fired, with about half hitting their targets. This attack cost the tank battalion over a dozen tanks and completely blocked the road.

After firing the RPGs, the Panjshir guerrillas quickly ran back. Before the black smoke had cleared, they climbed up the mountain and crossed over.

After the TOW missiles were launched, Muhammad ordered his troops to retreat. Fortunately, the Soviet Mi-24 Hind helicopters reacted too slowly, and the Stinger missiles that had just been set up were not used.

"Rumble, rumble." Five minutes after the attack, two Hinds flew over from the other side of the mountain. The pilots saw several destroyed tanks in the valley, still smoking. Though they were furious, they were helpless.

They had prepared a force of thousands to sweep through the mountains, but before even entering the valley, they were attacked. And shortly after entering the valley, they were ambushed. These two consecutive failures made Kulikov's face very grim.

In the past, the failures in the sweeps were due to not finding the guerrillas. Now, the failures were in combat, which made Kulikov even angrier.

A cool mountain breeze blew over the high mountains of Panjshir. Behind a rock, Diako, holding his AK-74, listened quietly to the battle reports.

"Kulikov's head has been kicked by an Afghan donkey," Diako said. "The tactics used to fight the Afghan guerrillas are like those used on the plains, which is simply foolish."

Diako was very dissatisfied with Kulikov's command. The tank units advanced, followed by the anti-aircraft units, and the armored infantry came last. What was the point?

If he were in command... Diako would never make such a low-level mistake.

All the tanks should be pulled back! The anti-aircraft units should be in the middle, and the armored infantry should guard the sides. The government soldiers should climb the mountains and search ahead to see how the guerrillas would attack!

Moreover, the Hind helicopters should continuously patrol the sky, ready to provide immediate support if needed. He didn't believe the Afghan guerrillas could still ambush them!

A well-equipped force of thousands was beaten by a few hundred guerrillas. Thinking about this, Diako couldn't help but shake his head.

"Comrade Colonel, the 108th Division has sent a radio message, asking you to go to Rukha to meet with Colonel Kulikov and others," a staff officer said to Diako.

Rukha was a larger town in the Panjshir Valley. The Soviet sweeping forces had already entered Rukha. Inviting him to come? Since Kulikov was so sincere, he would go.

"Guard this mountain pass," Diako said. "Be careful that the Afghan guerrillas don't break through here."

Diako patted the dust off his clothes, stood up, and led his guard down the rugged path.

Apart from the gunfire in the morning, the valley was quiet for the rest of the day.

In a mountain hollow far from the valley, the guerrilla fighters were vigilantly guarding the area. In a cave on the mountain, Masud and others were sitting.

After escaping from the Soviet tank units and retreating to this place, Masud's mood was not good.

"Captain, in this attack, we lost twenty-eight men. We couldn't even recover their bodies," a guerrilla reported to Masud.

The main losses were due to being shot by the Soviet tank machine guns as they approached. The brave guerrillas were hit before they could even use their RPGs.

The situation was very dangerous at the time. Without the help of Muhammad's guerrillas, the remaining twenty or so men would not have made it back.

"They all sacrificed themselves to resist the Soviets. Their spirit will live on, inspiring us to complete the great liberation of Afghanistan!" Masud said. Then he turned to Muhammad and said, "Mr. Muhammad, we owe you a great deal for your help in saving the lives of dozens of our guerrillas."

"We are all fighting for the liberation of Afghanistan," Muhammad said. "The Soviets have advanced weapons, so our guerrilla warfare must be more cautious. Now, the Soviets are here to eliminate us, and we must be fully prepared."

Faced with the aggressive Soviets, the best choice for the guerrillas was to avoid their strength and find a place to hide. However, after seeing Muhammad's successful ambush, Masud couldn't resist the temptation and decided to attack the Soviet tank units first. It was a bold and failed decision.

Masud knew that at the time, he wanted to compete with Muhammad, and the result...

"It's all because of your advanced weapons," Faisal said. "By God, where did you get the anti-tank missiles?"

If the Panjshir guerrillas had anti-tank missiles, they wouldn't have to take such a great risk to get close to attack. They could just fire from a distance and wouldn't have lost so many men.

"These anti-tank missiles are complex to operate," Muhammad said. "Our people have undergone long training, but we still missed one. Now, we must be prepared for the most dangerous situation."

Muhammad did not directly answer Faisal's question. Most of the Afghan guerrillas were illiterate, and operating these modern weapons was very difficult. Moreover, these weapons were obtained with great effort from the Americans, who would not supply them freely.

The most dangerous situation? If they couldn't fight, they would just run. Masud looked at Muhammad with a questioning gaze.

"The Panjshir Valley has fifteen critical mountain passes leading to the surrounding areas. I suspect the Soviets have already controlled all of them," Muhammad said.

Fifteen mountain passes controlled by the Soviets? Faisal couldn't help but shake his head. "Mr. Muhammad, that's impossible. We have people stationed at those passes. Even if the Soviets went up, they would at least send an alarm. We also have informants in the surrounding villages."

If these passes were blocked, the guerrillas in the valley would be at risk of being trapped.

These passes were easy to defend but hard to attack, with a high vantage point and a wide field of view. If the Soviets occupied them, the consequences would be dire.

No one was willing to believe Muhammad's deduction.

"Then it's even more troublesome," Muhammad said. "The Soviets must have sent in special forces."

The Soviet troops that came to sweep the mountains had low tactical skills. If they had silently controlled all the passes, it must have been the Soviet special forces.

The Soviets had many special forces units. Muhammad had already faced several of them. Each army stationed in Afghanistan had a reconnaissance company, which was considered a special force. Plus, there were SP special forces and A units. Which special forces were involved this time?

"Call Karina," Masud said. "Didn't Karina just return from the pass?"

Karina? This was clearly a woman's name. There were actually women in Masud's guerrillas? Muhammad felt very curious.

On the rugged path, a woman in a long robe was running quickly. Her posture revealed her gender, but she also carried a gun, and her eyes, visible through the veil, were calm and serious.

"Captain, Karina has returned," a voice came from the cave entrance.

Muhammad turned his head and looked at the woman at the entrance. Although her face was covered by a veil, he could only see her eyes, but Muhammad immediately had a sense of familiarity! (To be continued. Please search for Piaowen.com for faster updates and better reading experience!)

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