Siege of Khost

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Siege of Khost
Part of Soviet war in Afghanistan, Afghan Civil War
Date 1980 - April 11, 1991 Location Khost, Khost Province, Afghanistan Result Fall of Khost
Belligerents
Soviet Union Democratic Republic of Afghanistan	Afghan Mujahideen

v • d • e Soviet war in Afghanistan U.S. involvement – Storm-333 – Khost – Panjsher – Maravar Pass – Badaber Uprising – Zhawar – Jaji – Magistral – Hill 3234 – Arrow – Soviet withdrawal

The Siege of Khost: during the nine-year Soviet war in Afghanistan in the 1980s, the town of Khost was besieged for more than eleven years. Its airstrip's 3km runway served as a base for helicopter operations by Soviet forces.

Operation Magistral was an offensive launched to relieve it at end of 1987. The first convoys reached Khost end of December 1987. When the main Soviet force had withdrawn, Mujahideen groups cut off Khost once again, as they had done since 1981.

Khost finally fell without fighting to the mujahideen forces of Jalaluddin Haqqani on April 11, 1991, after negotiations with the garrison.[1]

[edit] References

• De Ponfilly, Christophe(2001); Massoud l'Afghan; Gallimard; ISBN 2-07-042468-5

• Bear Trap: Afghanistan's untold story by Brigadier Mohammad Yousaf

• Greenwald, John. "Afghanistan Fighting for the Road to Khost", TIME, Jan. 11, 1988. Retrieved on 2008-01-28.