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The Battle of Shahi Koht - described and analysed by one of the paticipants
by Sheikh Abdul-Adheem (may Allah protect him)
The original form of this report was published in Arabic on the Taliban web- site.
It has been translated by Azzam Publications and some factual notes including casualty figures and archived news reports have been added after an interview carried out by an Azzam.com correspondent with one of the Mujahideen.
- The events of Shahi Koht described and analysed by one of the participants.
- The full story depicting all the events, beginning to end.
- Hundreds of American soldiers killed.
- Cowardice and flight: two perpetual traits of the American soldiers.
- Distortion of facts and media suppression: one of the main American weapons used in battle.
- The tenacity and steadfastness of the Mujahideen in the battlefield:a crown of pride that sparkles on history's head.
- In the company of the martyrs till their last breaths.
All praise is for Allah as He has commanded it.
Peace and blessings upon the best of Mankind, Muhammad (SAWS).
O Allah!
Nothing is easy except that which You make easy.
And You make difficulties easy as you wish, O Lord!
O Allah, make our matters easy upon us, and accept our limbs, our blood, and our wounds as sacrifice for a lasting Khilafah.
Make our deeds pure for Your Exalted Countenance, such that we meet You with them O Lord, on the Day of Judgment ..
Ameen… Ameen...Ameen.
This is my testimony of the events which occurred during our encounter with the Americans, for which Allah had gathered us together.
I say, asking Allah's Help, hoping for His Pleasure, and so that these words reach the Muslims, and grant happiness to a nation that has long awaited to hear them.
I pray that Allah expands the breast of the Muslims by these words, and gives peace and pleasure to their eyes, and contentment to their hearts, and He angers the other nations by them -- those who have made a habit of altering and hiding the facts, and who lie to their people shamelessly - and that He makes our words an honour for Islam, and a suppression and a censure for the disbelievers.
Verily, He is the All-Hearing, the All- Responding.
"We were in Shahi-Koht during the first Afghan Jihad.
There were six Mujahideen in total and we were surrounded by ten tanks.
Over five air attacks were staged on us in a single day and there were about one hundred Soviet soldiers who attacked us from the land.
But all Praise belongs to Allah alone --they were not able to set foot on a single hand-span of the village, and we remained in this same state for about one week."
These were the words by which Maulawi Saif-ur-Rahman Nasrullah Mansoor responded, when I asked him about the possibility of increasing the reinforcements for the village, to prepare for the anticipated American attack.
At that time, we were discussing our military formations, along with Maulawi Jawad and Qari Muhammad Tahir Jan, the Ameer of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan.
[Note: The Ameer of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, Qari Muhammad Tahir Jan, is alive and well by the Grace of Allah.Its military commander, Jumaboy Namangani Al-Uzbeki, who was also the Commander-in-Chief of Foreign Mujahideen forces in Afghanistan and Central Asia as appointed by Ameer-ul-Mumineen Mulla Muhammad Umar, was martyred in the American bombing of Qunduz, North Afghanistan, in November 2001.
See 'The Fortress of War' article on the Qila-Janghi prison uprising event, distributed by Azzam Publications on Thursday 15 August 2002]
The fact was, that the village of Shahi Koht - despite having expanses of land on all sides - was completely surrounded by a group of high mountains, which brought the element of coldness to the area, and so was very rarely bare of snow.
Our early presence in it gave us sufficient experience and much knowledge of it inside and out, its dangerous parts and the ways out of them, and allowed us to master their use --by the bounty of Allah The Most High --for our operations with the Americans when Allah caused us to encounter them in that area.
Maulawi Jawad was Saif-ur-Rahman Mansoor's military commander for the duration of the previous phase of battles.
He had been involved in preparing the bases and occupied with arranging and fixing ambushes.
We planted landmines accurately in the main roads which led to the village and we set up heavy artillery on the surrounding mountain peaks.
We had some rear bases which had been established to protect the village, and which were reached via a long valley surrounded by the lofty mountains.
These bases are the ones which we used when we encircled the American airdrops from behind, such that the enemy fell in the clutches of those who surrounded them on one hand, and those who were stationed in the village on the other.
By the Grace of Allah alone, we were able to inflict great losses on the enemy ranks through these tactics.
In the early days, we spent all our time preparing the area.
Our numbers totalled 200 Mujahideen in all, comprising 50 Afghan Mujahideen from Saif-ur-Rahman Mansoor's group, 120 Mujahideen from the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan under the command of Qari Muhammad Tahir Jan (this was the largest group), and about 30 Arab Mujahideen, the majority of whom had previous military knowledge and training.
[Note: The Mujahideen of Uzbekistan, the land of Imam Al-Bukhari, are renowned for their courage, solid faith and being unflinching in battle, not being afraid of incoming fire.
The four fighters who were betrayed by a Pakistani agent and ambushed by 600-700 Pakistani troops in Kohat, NWFP Province, Pakistan, in June 2002 were all Uzbeks:
they were all martyred after killing about 20 of the Pakistani troops and the perfume coming from their bodies caused an uproar amongst local tribesmen, who have turned the place of their martyrdom into a 'sacred' place.
The Uzbek Mujahideen are also fighting with the Mujahideen in Chechnya where they have gained a reputation of being tougher and braver fighters than even the Chechens.
An account of the bravery of the Uzbeks can be found in the 'Diary of a Norweigan Mujahid in Chechnya', Tuesday 04 July 2000 published by Azzam Publications Chechnya web-site Qoqaz.net in the Year 2000. Copies of this article can be found on the Internet by searching for the above.]
They were originally in the area to engage in guerilla warfare against the Americans and their agents.
Naturally, this required proper preparation and continuous training whether it be in the preparation of bases, or in choosing men to whom such tasks would be assigned.
This is actually what the Mujahideen did before the battles erupted.
A few days before the Eid-ul-Adha festival, the number of airplanes circling overhead increased to an unusually high number, so the Mujahideen scattered in the area and took their positions.
However, these airplanes were merely supporting the nine trucks of Afghan Northern Alliance soldiers who were planning to storm our village.
Maulawi Jawad then organised the brothers so that they ambushed the Afghan soldiers, capturing all of them alive and confiscating their weapons.
They then began to cry and repent that if we let them free, they would not fight us anymore.
After ordering the brothers to preach to them, so that perhaps they may learn from them and to tell them the ruling of their deeds which they committed, so that perhaps they may refrain from them in the future, Maulawi Saif-ur-Rahman Mansoor ordered them to be released.
No sooner had we set them free, and they saw that their life had once again been returned to them, than they fled the area, leaving the planes to patrol over the village.
However, they realised a few hours later that those they left behind could not benefit them at all, and that Allah had decreed for them what would harm them, to meet the Mujahideen again with nowhere to run.
The snowfall upon the area intensified until it was entirely covered, which delayed the time of battle we had scheduled.
We took advantage of the fact that it was Eid and we spent the day in renewing our resolves, preaching to one another, and praying for victory or martyrdom.
The Uzbek Mujahideen also held a big party which was attended by most of the Mujahideen in the area.
Many motivational and inspirational speeches were given, which came from the heart -- hearts longing for Paradise, and longing for the house of Allah's Pleasure, yet fiery and sad at the state of the Ummah.
One speech that continues to resound in my ears and move every part of my existence effectively - every time I remember it, it takes a hold of my entire self -- was that delivered by Qari Muhammad Tahir Jan while he was reminding the Mujahideen of the revenge which must be taken for our brothers who were killed in Qunduz and Tora Bora.
Upon hearing his words, the Mujahideen wept loudly, and vowed to remain steadfast.
Among us was Sheikh Abul-Miqdad Al-Uzbeki, who was 72 years old, and whose second wife had imposed a condition on him marrying her that he would not leave the land of Jihad.
I still remember him, crying like one bereaved of a child, just so that his commander would allow him to participate in battle.
Imagine the effect his crying would have on your own soul -- to see a old man of his age, with his tears flowing, for the sole reason that he desired to plunge into the heat of battle, and to experience its hardships.
This old man cried more than the entire group that day.
At midnight on Saturday, the airplane activity upon the village increased, which caused some brothers to anticipate a near attack.
No sooner did the clock strike four in the morning, than the air attacks began on the area, especially the peaks surrounding the village.
I asked the brothers to head for their assigned areas, behind the village, and I myself remained with the group to take care of some necessary matters and then followed them when the situation permitted me to do so.
During this time, the bombardment had increased greatly and was repeated in more than one area, and no sooner had I prayed the morning Fajr prayer with the brothers who remained with me, than we began to see helicopters hovering above us.
There were many of them --more than twenty aircraft in total, including the fighter planes.
After about an hour of continuous circling over the village and its surroundings, the American troops were dropped by parachute from the planes on three locations.
The first drop was on the primary area which fell on the peaks of the overlooking mountains at the entrance of the valley which lead to the rear bases, where they were faced by the brothers who had left us.
They were about ten Arab brothers under the command of Brother Ghazi, who affiliated with two groups which were centralised on one of the peaks which was opposite that of the airdrop.
The two groups were composed of Uzbek and Afghan brothers.
By the Bounty and Will of Allah--all Praise is for Him alone -- those Americans who were not killed by the bullets of the Mujahideen, were killed by the bombing of their own fighter planes.
Their aerial attack wiped out all 50 of the American soldiers.
As for the second drop, it was under a peak nicknamed Abdul-Malik, where there were Uzbek brothers stationed with DShk 12.7mm Heavy Machine Guns.
When the Americans descended from the plane, they turned towards the lowlands, for they had planned to besiege the village and take it over.
They battled with three Arab Mujahideen brothers, who had two Kalashnikovs (AK-47 assault rifles), one PK Light Machine Gun with a magazine that held 250 rounds, and an RPG-7 (Rocket Propelled Grenade launcher) with only two rockets.
There were about 100 American soldiers in this drop.
In this battle, the three brothers dispersed in a horizontal line, far away from the enemy but facing them directly.
This was to increase their density of fire on the Americans.
As soon as the firefight began, the Uzbek brothers who were stationed on the peak of Abdul-Malik joined in, using their DShk Machine Gun.
The American soldiers thus fell into the trap laid by the Mujahideen and a large number of them were killed.
As for the third airdrop, the soldiers descended between where Maulawi Jawad, the military commander, was positioned, and the peak where Field Commander Abu Ali Talha Al-Uzbeki was stationed.
The brothers who took part in this battle told me that they were able to shoot and kill the Americans with expertise.
The battles continued until early nightfall.
We could hear the screams of the American soldiers and their wailing, which contrasted the shouts of Allahu Akbar which came from the Mujahideen, and their cheers and praise of Allah.
Brother Abu Ali Talha Al-Uzbeki even contacted me over the wireless to make me firm, strengthen me, and console me, and he swore that victory was ours.
While I was deep in thought over his call, little did I know that these words were his last words, as he bade farewell to the Mujahideen to join the martyrs, after sustaining heavy injuries from the aerial bombardment.
With the first signs of night, C-130 planes arrived which carried machine-guns similar in calibre to the DShk (12.7mm), although they were also able to fire missiles, and had night-vision, which would allow vision for a distance of up to 6km away.
We could do nothing but raise our hands and pray to Allah.
Our brothers had dispersed, and were motionlessly positioned in trenches, for the enemy's weapons could detect any movement.
Since the brothers had been engaged in battle until night, the planes found us to be easy night-targets and on that night, about 20 Mujahideen were killed by their planes.
Seven of them were Arabs, these being: Abul-Baraa Al-Maghribi (Morocco), Abul-Baraa Ash-Shami (Syria), Abu Bakr Al-Maghribi (Morocco), Abul- Hasan As-Somali (Somalia), Khalid Al-Islambooli Al- Ghamidi (Arabian Peninsula), Abu Bakr Azzam Al-Urduni (Jordan), and Abdus-Salam Ghazi Al-Misri (Egypt).
We spent our night alert and on guard, to deter any more airdrops throughout the night, as was expected.
Before performing the morning Fajr prayer, we divided the brothers into three groups:
the first joined the group of Maulawi Saif-ur-Rahman Mansoor, for he needed more people;
the second took position where the Shillika ZSU-23 anti-aircraft cannon was situated, at the entrance to the valley;
which left myself along with three other brothers as support for any of the groups which needed more men.
To begin with, we headed towards the location of the Shillika and took our positions in the rear, to help curb the aerial bombardment which had increased significantly.
During the entire period, the enemy did not cease to spray the mountain peaks and valleys with the lava of bombs and missiles, while machine-guns sprayed their bullets in every direction.
Just then, I received news on the wireless from the Uzbek brothers stationed at Mount Abdul-Malik that they had brought down an American helicopter on the peak opposite to them, but that a large number oftheir soldiers were still alive.
[Note: The helicopter in question was a 'Chinook' CH-47 and the Uzbek Mujahideen shot it down with the ZSU-23 anti-aircraft cannon.]
Therefore, they asked us to hurry to Mount Abdul-Malik, because there were only seven brothers stationed there, out of whom three had already been killed.
When we reached the rear side of Mount Abdul-Malik, I saw using my binoculars that there were approximately 40 American soldiers still alive, some of whom were injured, and they were trying to hide behind large rocks to save themselves from the Mujahideen bullets.
Some of them were trying to escape from the sides of the mountain, so I informed the brothers, who engaged them.
Eventually, due to Allah's Grace and our advantage of being on high ground, the seven of us were able to kill all 40 of them.
The American soldiers did not fire a single shot at us due to their cowardice and fear.
The truth is, that due to our insight and experience in fighting the American Army, we now have an idea of the psychological state of the US soldier as he enters into battle --
a deep-rooted fear in their hears and a complete desire to live.
They would do all they can to avoid a face-to-face confrontation with the Mujahideen.
Due to this, all they did when the Mujahideen fire intensified was to ask for airplane backup to save them from the fire.
When our bombardment intensified and the air attacks became more concentrated, and after two of our Uzbek brothers were killed, I asked all our brothers to retreat, except the ones manning the PK machinegun and RPG-7 rocket launcher.
Brother Abu Talib As-Saudi insisted upon staying and said to me, "I feel ashamed in front of Allah to retreat from the Americans." Due to the heavy bombardment, he later was injured in his head, which caused him memory loss for a long time.
He recently informed me that his condition had improved greatly and that he had recovered, and All Praise belongs to Allah Alone, Lord of the Worlds.
When the Mujahideed increased their PK and RPG fire on the American soldiers, they were able to hit many of them, which forced the rest of them to flee to the other side of the mountain, where they were ambushed by the Mujahideen under the command of Maulawi Jawad.
As the Mujahideen opened their concentrated fire at the soldiers, we began to see dead Americans rolling down from the peak until their bodies reached below our feet.
They were all wiped out in this ambush, but Maulawi Jawad was also martyred by aerial bombing, for the soldiers were far too cowardly to respond to fire with fire --they could not even blink out of fear during the battle, and their hearts were in a state of utter panic.
We remained in this state for five days.
Wherever we heard of an airdrop of soldiers, we rushed towards it to kill those whom Allah had decreed to be killed.
All we saw was soldiers who were unwilling to compromise their lives, holding on to its threads as if they did not know that they were entering into battle.
This was not an emotion specific to them, but it reigns the hearts of everyone who is faced with death, except the Mujahideen in the Path of Allah.
In this regard, I remember an incident concerning one of the battles which took place between us and them, which I would like to narrate:
This incident took place when our brothers inside the village asked us for reinforcements from the rear to combat the siege which was taking place.
We set off upon this mission, taking with us appropriate weapons and missiles and climbed atop one of the small peaks.
After setting up our missiles and choosing a good location on which to mount the RPG, I informed our brothers that we were ready.
We all began firing at the same time in order to surprise the enemy.
They immediately asked for airplane reinforcements.
It was only a short time before the planes arrived and started their bombing which was both intense and random, due to which many American soldiers were also hit by their own planes.
The sheer intensity of fire compelled us to withdraw quickly and hastily.
After I was about 100-150 meters away from the location, I remembered that I forgot an important personal belonging there, so I decided to return even though the brothers with me urged against it, due to the danger.
After some discussion on this, I regarded it as necessary to return.
I forbade all the brothers to go with me, particularly as the belonging was personal.
After applying the safety catch to my Kalakov(AK-74) rifle, I put it round my neck and behind my back.
I then returned to the location of the ambush.
As soon as I reached that location, I encountered three Americans, the distance between us being about 70 metres.
My eyes were fixed upon them and my limbs froze as I anticipated being hit by their bullets, particularly as my weapon was difficult to use, being behind my back and far from my hands.
It was only a few seconds, but they too had frozen in their tracks, due to the sheer fright which had enveloped them.
I quickly grabbed my rifle from my neck, unapplied the safety catch and opened fire, killing all three them - All Praise belongs to Allah Alone.
Not a single one of them fired even a single bullet at me, even though we were face to face.
Glorified is He who deafened their ears, disabled their limbs, and placed fear and awe in their hearts.
What was strange was that when the brothers joined me, the groups of soldiers who had been hiding behind rocks suddenly rushed out and fled, with no consideration of anything blocking their way, despite the fact that their weapons were more than ours, their preparation better than ours and their numbers exceeded ours:
"How often a small group overcame a mighty group by Allah's leave?And Allah is with the patient." [Quran 2:249]
All Praise is for Allah Alone.
The events which betray the cowardice of the Western Coalition Forces are many and varied.
It so happened that once, the Mujahideen were heading to set up an ambush.
This was a few days after the Battle of Shahi Koht, at around 7 am.
The Mujahideen were surprised to come across six cars belonging to the Coalition Forces in the area.
The Afghan brothers said afterwards that they were British Special Forces (SAS) soldiers, who were near the Pakistan- Afghanistan border to set up traps and ambushes for the Mujahideen, and to capture some of their bases.
They seemed to be asleep inside the cars, so the brothers slipped away to a nearby location which was fortified by the surrounding mountains.
They then discussed whether or not they should fight those present in the cars, bearing in mind that the Mujahideen were few in respect of the numbers the task required.
Therefore, the Mujahideen asked for help from their rear bases.
After about an hour, the reinforcements arrived and the brothers launched a general, crushing attack on all of the cars.
As the brothers could not remember facing any resistance at all, some of them began to doubt as to whether or not there were any soldiers in those cars to begin with, but the cars were definitely not empty.
They managed to kill all of the soldiers (counting 20 bodies) in the cars and destroy the vehicles, Praise be to Allah.
This is what we witnessed and lived through throughout the duration of our fighting and clash with the Americans.
Never was there any support or power that they were able to rely upon during their battles with us, other than their airplanes, especially as they had now broken the veil of the night with their night-vision technology, and thus put us in a state of total alertness during the night, guarding against their intense, concentrated aerial attacks.
We did not possess advanced defensive weapons that were able to fight the aircraft.
But, by the Grace of Allah the Almighty, we discovered that some of our weapons, despite their simplicity and oldness, were very effective at handling the aircraft.
Perhaps their true influence will occur in future battles, with the Permission of Allah the Almighty.
I sat with Maulari Saif-ur-Rahman Mansoor and Qari Muhammad Tahir Jan to discuss the situation a week after the fighting first broke out, because the situation had become severe again.
The brothers decided that the Mujahideen should retreat from the village to the base lines, and begin to move the injured outside the area.
They asked me to make sure the rear American bases, the 'Dervish Base' and the one we nicknamed the 'Abu Hurayrah Base' were surrounded.
I began to prepare the brothers for this work and gather whatever materials were required, and then we moved from the base lines.
After almost an entire day had passed, we reached the peaks that surrounded the 'Dervish Base'.
When I saw that there were only a few Americans in the base, I asked the brothers to hide and wait for the American forces to return to the base, so we could pounce on a valuable prey.
By the time I had explained this to the translator, so that he could inform the rest of the group, we suddenly heard cries of "Allahu Akbar!";
some of the Afghan Mujahideen had hastened to attack, and had advanced to storm the base.
There was nothing we could other than go and help them.
Two American soldiers passed by us and we killed them both.
The base was full of rooms, but we could only find belongings and equipment, until we came to one large room, in which were about 18 soldiers.
I asked the brothers to guard them so that we could take them as prisoners and then complete searching the remaining area.
However, the sound of a helicopter hurried us, and forced us to spray the room which held the prisoners with bullets, killing everyone, before quickly withdrawing.
[Note: this was the incident mentioned in the Pakistani and other media sources about 18 American soldiers being taken prisoner, including two women and two officers.
However, the reality is that all 18 of these soldiers were killed the same day a few hours later.
Despite knowing that the 18 prisoners were executed the same day, some Taliban leaders announced their capture as a means of bargaining with the US Army in order to exchange some of the prisoners in Guantanamo Bay, and as a publicity stunt.
However, it is well- known that the US Army does not care about its soldiers and would never have negotiated for their release in a prisoner exchange of some sort:
for this reason, the Mujahideen killed the soldiers (see 'The Islamic Ruling on the Permissibility of Executing Prisoners of War' by Azzam Publications, also available on other web-sites by searching for the phrase above or href="http://www.intellnet.org/documents/300/080/381.htm"target=_blank>http://www.intellnet.org/ documents/300/080/381.htm">http://www.intellnet.org/documents/300/080/381.htm).
[Note:Their execution in the room was also captured in its entirety on digital video camera, but due to an incident some days later, the tape was damaged on its way out from Afghanistan and this footage was lost.]
Soon after this incident, four brothers were killed after the planes had spotted them.
By the end of this, the brothers decided on a general complete withdrawal and deployment to different, safe locations, as they were unable to continue fighting the air-war that began in Shahi Koht due to an absence of effective anti-aircraft weapons.
The brothers all dispersed in different directions.
I travelled with ten Arab brothers.
Due to the increased number of Coalition Forces blocking the area as well as the aerial channels the enemy had, we were forced to travel for three days and nights in conditions which were extremely harsh.
We had nothing to eat with us, except a case of green tea and a pot in which to boil snow.
After this long journey, enduring the cold and the snow, and travelling over mountain peaks and through valleys, we finally reached a village where we received a great welcome, such that it made us forget all that we had suffered and endured, and All Praise belongs to Allah Alone.
At present, we think that we are in an altogether stronger state, and that we have entered a new phase in the battle of nerves and attrition.
We know the Americans and they know us.
We have seen them and they have seen us.
And to our brothers, particularly the Mujahideen we know and who were with us --receive glad tidings, as the future holds nothing but good.
O Alliance Forces and their agents!
Prepare for many battles like that of Shahi Koht!
Prepare, for there can only be two outcomes: victory and establishment or martyrdom and Paradise.
And if the outcome is imprisonment - and we seek refuge with Allah from that - then many respected and noble ones have preceded us on the same path.
Mujahideen Losses at Shahi-Koht
Total number of Mujahideen: 200 (30 Arabs, 50 Afghans and 120Uzbeks)
Number of martyrs:88 (mostly Uzbeks but including 8 Arabs)
Number of injured:Approximately 50
US and Western Coalition Losses at Shahi-Koht
Total number of US and Western Coalition Troops:1200 assisted by 500 Afghan- US allies
Number killed: 200 American including 18 executed prisoners, 20 British SAS in six-vehicle ambush operation, over 300 Afghan-US allies and small numbers of Australian and Canadian troops
Number injured: Over 300 Americans + unknown number of Afghan-US allies
Helicopters shot down:6 including two CH-47 'Chinook' helicopters carrying 20 troops each and four AH-64D 'Apache' gunship helicopters carrying two troops each.
Other relevant information on Coalition losses at Shahi-Koht
The US Government covered up the killing of the Canadian soldiers by staging a 'friendly-fire' incident in Kandahar, in which it was claimed that several Canadian soldiers were killed by an American F-16 bomb that 'went astray'.
Russian news agency, Strana.ru, reported that over 100 Americans were killed in the Shahi-Kot Battle and over 200 injured, in addition to four 'Apache' AH- 64D gunship helicopters being shot down.
Both the Chinooks were shot down by the Uzbek Mujahideen using ZSU- 23 anti-aircraft cannons:
the Apaches were shot down by a combination of ZSU-23 cannon and RPG-7 rockets.
General Fahim, Afghan Defence Minister of Karzai's Government, was informed by his sources that the number of American soldiers killed in Shahi-Kot was 800, but the figure of 200 is more realistic and corroborates with the other figures given above.
Azzam Archived News Reports 05 and 06 March 2002
05 March 2002 :
Two US Helicopters Downed;Over 60 US Troops Killed as Mujahideen Repulse Major American Ground Offensive
Two American CH-47 'Chinook' helicopters each carrying 20 fully armed troops have been shot down by Mujahideen during fierce fighting in Gardez.
On Friday night, US forces backed by their Afghan allies launched a combined air and ground assault against Taliban and Al- Qaida Mujahideen positions in the mountains in the Zarmand Region of Gardez Province.
According to reliable sources on the ground, Taliban Guerilla Commander Mulla Saif-ur-Rahman Mansoor is leading the Mujahideen in this battle.Mulla Saif-ur-Rahman is a young religious scholar, who is the son of another religious scholar, Mulla Mansoor.
During the Taliban rule, he was also the Commander of the Kurha Baagh region 50km North of Kabul.
On Saturday, US and Afghan troops launched a ground attack against Mujahideen positions supported by an array of helicopter and aircraft gunships.However, characteristic of the guerilla type of warfare in Afghanistan, Mulla Saif- ur-Rahman's troops were lying in wait in the mountain passes and they launched a series of deadly ambushes against the enemy convoys.
At least seventeen US troops and 40 of their Afghan allies were confirmed killed during these ambushes:These figures were given as the US forces were unable to recover all of their dead from the scene of the ambush.Over 200 of the combined US-Afghan forces were injured and ambulances and helicopters were witnessed carrying the wounded to hospitals in Northern Alliance and Pakistani territory.
On Sunday night, one fully laden, US CH-47 troop carrying helicopter bringing reinforcements to the frontline, was downed by Mujahideen surface-to-air weapons, killing all 20 troops on board.
On Monday, another identical helicopter, carrying 15-20 troops was also shot down by Mujahideen anti- aircraft fire, bringing to total 40 US troops who were killed in both crashes.The Pentagon and international media agencies acknowledged the shoot down of the second helicopter on Monday, but said that only six soldiers were killed.Such a statement is laughable, given that to use a huge troop carrying helicopter with a capacity of 20 troops, just to carry one soldier (plus five crew) in combat, is an inefficient use of fuel, energy, resources and manpower.Elsewhere, significant numbers of US troops have been killed in fierce fighting.According to eyewitnesses, the number of casualties are in such huge numbers that it is difficult to estimate the correct number at this moment in time, thus the figure of 60 dead (20 x 2 helicopters + 17 in ambushes), which is set to rise, has been given.
Khost Hospital is full to capacity with injured. After these heavy losses the US has lost its hold and thousands of its purchased locals have run away.
After retreating, the US has started aerial bombardment using their new 2000lb thermobaric bombs, which have been dropped without aim, using B-52 bombers.
These bombs are designed to penetrate 6m into the ground before detonating.
However, due to the heavy snow present at the scene of the battle, these bombs have not thus far been effective in this fighting. Reliable eyewitness sources have also said that the US has used chemical weapons in this attack, due to the type of multi-coloured disfiguration found on the bodies of the martyred and injured Mujahideen who have been brought into medical centres in friendly areas.After this cowardly retreat, it is not expected that the US will sustain ground operations against Mulla Saif-ur-Rahman's positions, preferring instead the warfare of the weak, by bombing from several miles high.The Pakistani Government and Army will also be in mourning as it had sealed its borders and was expecting the US troops to defeat the Mujahideen.The Muslims should be grateful to Allah for these victories and should be rest assured that wars last several years;they are not won by the rise or fall of paper-based governments.A day for them and a day for us, such is the nature of war, of alternate successes.
Allah will never allow the disbelievers to dominate over the believers.
Allah is Great and the Honour is to Islam.
06 March 2002 : US Body Count Rises As Mujahideen Fight Back
ISLAMABAD(AZZAM):
The United States has accepted that two of its helicopters were shot down killing 9 of its soldiers and injuring 40 others in recent guerrilla raids by Taliban and Al Qaida in Gardez, Afghanistan.
It should be noted that yesterday we reported from our authentic sources, that four US helicopters were actually shot down by the Mujahideen in Gardez and its neighbouring areas.
These ferocious and effective guerilla strikes have in total left 66 US soldiers dead so far.
In an obvious effort to hide these embarrasing numbers, the US and its coalition partners are attempting to keep the whole world and the US nation in darkness about these recent losses.
Clever manipulation of the media allows the US to hide their humiliating losses from the american public and the world in general.
Let the world know that the US and her coalition partners are facing mounting casualties at the hands of the Mujahideen in Afghanistan.
As the Taliban commander, Mulla Mansoor has declared, Jihad against the US troops will continue till the last breath.
REUTERS NEWS REPORT
08 MARCH 2002
Al Qaeda Laughed at U.S. Soldiers in Fierce Battle
By REUTERS
Filed at 11:18 a.m.
ET LANDSTUHL, Germany (Reuters) -
The hills echoed with laughter as al Qaeda and Taliban fighters rained down fire on U.S. soldiers wounded in a fierce Afghan battle.
Helicopters brought teams of U.S. soldiers into enemy terrain a week ago, seeking to eliminate the Islamic militants from a remote corner of Afghanistan.
Determined resistance left wounded U.S. soldiers exposed on the hills and trying to stay alive as mortar and gun fire prevented the helicopters from returning until nightfall.
Three wounded U.S. soldiers at the U.S. military's medical facilities at Landstuhl, Germany, gave a graphic account Friday of their perilous March 2nd battle.
"We could hear them laugh at us," said Spc.
Wayne Stanton, 20, from Rockwood, Tennessee, who was on crutches and had a cast on his leg.
"They were laughing every time we shot at them.
They were 2,000 feet above us.
Our small arms could not reach them up there.
Every time a fast mover (aircraft) or a helicopter came to attack them or engage them, they just ran into the caves."
The U.S. military said Friday al Qaeda's resistance was faltering after nearly a week of fierce fighting in freezing Afghan mountains, with coalition forces gaining the higher ground.
The U.S. says eight American and seven Afghan troops have died and about 100 soldiers have been wounded in the battle, the biggest U.S.-led ground offensive of the five-month Afghan war.
Enemy Terrain
On March 2, the U.S. Army's 10th Mountain Division carried about 100 or so soldiers by helicopter into an area between two 10,000-foot-tall ridges at about 6 a.m.
The al Qaeda forces and their backers responded almost immediately from positions high in the mountains and with their escape caves nearby.
"We took some gunfire as we proceeded to make our entrance off the helicopters," said Spc.
Ricardo Miranda, 20, of Salinas, California.
Many of the Americans quickly realized the Afghan forces had the upper hand..
"We're fighting in their backyard.
We're the ones who are not used to the high altitudes of the mountains," Miranda said.
"They know where every crack in that mountain is."
The stubborn al Qaeda and Taliban resistance led to casualties in the U.S. forces by late morning.
Sgt. Robert McCleave, 25, from El Toro, California, was hit in the thigh and elbows by shrapnel from by mortar fire.
"It was probably no more than, and I kid you not, no more than 10 feet away.
One of the soldiers that was with us took the bulk of that blast.
The rest of us got pretty well wounded after that.
When that round hit, it felt like somebody had just pressed the pause button on the VCR.
I saw a fellow soldier of mine look around.
He stared right at me in the eyes and he started screaming, and I was like 'Oh, OK, this is my time to yell now,' so I hit the floor."
Ordeal Under Fire Fear spread as the blood flowed.
"After I saw the first few people get hurt, I started getting scared," said Stanton.
"It really hurt a little bit more to see my guys get hit," Miranda said.
"Living with these guys so long you build a kind of brotherhood, you could say.
I love all my guys, I am not afraid to say it."
Then Miranda, who now rides a wheelchair with an arm and a leg in casts, was wounded.
"I felt a little bit of shock at first.
I looked at my hands, I looked at my body, I said, 'Wow, I got hit,'" he said.
The wounded men had to keep on the move to stay alive amid fire from above, running amid the blood and the pain.
Growing reinforcement of the Al-Qaeda forces dashed hopes of bringing in rescue helicopters in the early afternoon.
"It would have been taking a very big chance just to fly those birds in there.
The chance (was) of a helicopter going down and more casualties," McCleave said.
"The area was too hot, there was too much fire taking place."
U.S. aircraft pounded the hills in support of its troops, scattering the Afghan forces only temporarily.
"As soon as you heard the jet engines ... fire would cease," McCleave said.
"They would jump into bunkers, try to hide in cave complexes."
Night Rescue
Nightfall finally brought a chance of rescue.
"As soon as night fell, it relieved a lot of tension because they didn't have night-vision capabilities, they couldn't see us," Stanton said.
"It was more sporadic.
They tried to use tracer rounds to spot where we were.
When they used tracer rounds, the close air support, the AC-130 crews, saw where they were firing from and just obliterated them."
Some of whom had hobbled under hostile fire for more than 12 hours.
Source: http://www.azzam.com Daily news, articles and interviews on the Jihad in Afghanistan
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