Chapter 92

"Regiment 682, mainly concentrated in the northern part of Badakhshan Province, around Mount Chiba, has caught up with a guerrilla unit and is pursuing them closely. With the assistance of helicopters, they will definitely be able to encircle and annihilate that guerrilla unit," said Chief of Staff Belgrade. "However, Regiment 177 is faring much worse. They have been in constant contact with the guerrillas, frequently attacked, and have lost soldiers. Although they only lose three or four each time, the cumulative effect is something we cannot afford."

"Didn't the guerrillas already scatter and are about to be completely destroyed? How could they reappear?" said Lieutenant General Kulykov.

"Commander, recent battles have shown that although the guerrillas have been scattered, they still have a certain level of combat capability. They are now employing their most skilled guerrilla tactics."

The Gru special operations brigade suffered more than half its casualties, and the news reached Moscow. The leaders were very angry, and orders came down layer by layer, demanding that Kulykov must completely eliminate the Panjshir guerrillas. Kulykov firmly executed this order, passing the pressure down to the soldiers. The two Soviet regiments pursued relentlessly, and small-scale battles continued, but the results were not good.

Completely eliminating these guerrillas is probably impossible. At most, we can scatter them. Once our forces withdraw, those guerrillas will return like ghosts, threatening the Soviet supply lines in the Panjshir Valley.

In addition to the 108th Division, there is also the 201st Division, which is also stationed in northern Afghanistan. If they join in the encirclement, it would be more promising.

Kulykov shook his head. "Their defensive forces are also insufficient, and they cannot spare more troops. Besides, even if we send more people, they will be dispersed in these mountains and forests, and our supplies cannot support too many troops."

This kind of guerrilla warfare is the most troublesome. The only thing we can do now is to put pressure on the two front-line regiments, urging them to intensify their encirclement and pursue and annihilate the guerrillas!

Fortunately, the valley is temporarily quiet.

"Rat-tat-tat, rat-tat-tat..." At this moment, gunshots suddenly came from outside.

"Click." The guards at the door immediately pulled their gun bolts, aiming outside. The machine gunners on the roof also pulled their gun bolts, eyes fixed on the sights, ready to fire at any moment.

"Rat-tat-tat, rat-tat-tat..." The gunshots continued, coming from outside the town.

"Continue receiving the front-line reports," said Kulykov. The gunshots were gradually fading away, indicating that the government soldiers on the outskirts had already pursued them. Moreover, the gunshots were not dense, so it was probably not an Afghan guerrilla unit, just an occasional gunman.

"Report." A communications soldier stood up and said, "The commander of the 324th Battalion of the government army reported that a gunman attacked them. He sent a company to pursue him."

"Make sure to kill him," said Kulykov. "Bring the body back and hang it in the town center."

The local residents outside the town privately owned firearms and even shot at the government army. Humph, they are just asking for death! Kulykov did not pay much attention.

In the pitch-black night, the government soldiers, with their guns, chased continuously in the valley.

They were not afraid because they had seen with their own eyes that there was only one person, armed with an AKM, shooting at them and then running away. This immediately enraged them, and they rushed out with their weapons.

The entire valley was full of government soldiers. For the past ten days, it had been calm, with no large guerrilla units. Yet, a single resident dared to seek death!

Pursue him and kill him!

Eliminate him! It would be a good opportunity to earn merit with the Soviets!

The agile ones ran fast, while the slower ones fell behind. After more than two hours of pursuit, they had reached a valley, and only about ten people remained.

"Rat-tat-tat, rat-tat-tat..." At this moment, gunshots suddenly rang out from both sides of the valley. It was not just one rifle; there were more than ten guns, and the clear sound was from an RPK machine gun!

Oh no, we've been ambushed! The person at the front tried to retreat but was hit by bullets before he could take a step, screaming and falling down.

A group of people quickly rushed out from both sides. Muhamed looked at the fallen government soldiers and said, "Quick, change into their uniforms and throw the bodies into the ravine!"

...

The government army uniforms were covered in blood, some parts temporarily bandaged with rags, and fresh blood was still seeping out. The two most severely injured were carried on stretchers, their heads tightly bandaged, looking like they were barely alive.

The Soviet soldiers saw this group appear outside the checkpoint. The bright headlights illuminated them, and the Soviet squad leader said, "Brothers, what happened?"

"Just now, a town resident attacked us. We rushed out to pursue him, but we were ambushed in the valley outside. Fortunately, we ran fast, or we wouldn't have made it back. These few brothers are the most seriously injured and need immediate treatment," said a government soldier, his blood-stained shoulder badge indicating he was a second lieutenant.

They had all heard the gunshots earlier, thinking the government army had eliminated the suicidal resident. Who would have thought they were ambushed?

The government army's combat capability has always been poor. Perhaps it was just one resident, and they fell into a trap. The Soviet squad leader said, "Quick, move the checkpoint."

The lives of government soldiers are also important. They needed medical attention at this moment.

After passing through the checkpoint, the group continued to run quickly, soon entering the dark streets.

In an alley, Muhamed whispered, "Prepare to act!"

After he spoke, the people on the stretchers immediately jumped up, and those who were injured unwrapped their bandages, holding their guns, their eyes full of killing intent.

Khvaja, Osama, Ramal, Herman, Faisal... These dozen people were carefully selected by Muhamed, who had led them over a cliff and back into the Panjshir Valley.

They sometimes encountered government army patrols along the way, but Muhamed easily avoided them. The journey was smooth until they reached the town of Rukha.

The outskirts of Rukha were guarded by the government army, and the interior was guarded by the division's security forces, making it very tight. It was almost impossible for Muhamed to infiltrate.

On a hill outside Rukha, Muhamed observed for several hours and finally made a bold decision: to infiltrate by pretending to be injured government soldiers!

Where could he find ready-made injured soldiers without arousing the Soviet guards' suspicion? The only option was to create them!

Thus, Muhamed planned an attack to lure the government soldiers out and eliminate them on the way. This way, they would have the uniforms, fresh blood, and injuries, creating the appearance of injured soldiers.

With these injured soldiers, Muhamed easily passed through the outer government army defenses and the Soviet checkpoint, as the temporary field hospital was inside the town.

Thus, Muhamed and his team infiltrated, with only one mission: to kill the highest Soviet commander!

In modern combat theory, this is called a decapitation operation. In war, elite small units are sent to eliminate the enemy's commander, leaving them leaderless and leading to their defeat.

Masud and Durrani, with the remaining guerrillas, continued to fight in Badakhshan Province, drawing the attention of the Soviet army. The valley was left with only one government army unit and a small number of Soviet security forces, making it very vulnerable.

From the hill, Muhamed had carefully observed the area. The Soviet tanks and equipment were parked outside in the open field, and the defenses were so tight that it must be a temporary Soviet command post. The most prominent building in the town center was the town hall, with sentries on the roof and several antennas in the courtyard, clearly indicating the command center!

Afghanistan is not a lamb to be slaughtered. Although the Soviet Union is still a vast red empire, the Afghans are not afraid! Invaders, either leave or die!

Muhamed led the dozen people quietly through the town's streets.

Footsteps came from ahead, and Muhamed raised his right hand. The people behind him followed Muhamed and crouched behind a low wall.

A patrol of soldiers, wearing sturdy military boots and carrying guns, walked past them. The leader held a flashlight, constantly shining it around.

If the flashlight shone on them, they would have to launch the attack prematurely. Everyone lightly placed their fingers on the triggers, waiting.

The flashlight did not shine on them, and the patrol continued down the street.

Muhamed breathed a sigh of relief. If the battle had started here, the people in the command center would have been alerted and might have escaped, ruining the attack.

After walking a few more streets, the sound of a diesel generator came from ahead, and the area was brightly lit. They had reached the command center. (To be continued...)

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