What is the metropolis of Shindand in Afghanistan? What military operations were carried out here? We will answer these and other questions in the article. Shindand is the city and center of Shindand County in the province of Gerant, located in the Republic of Afghanistan. It was founded on the site of the Iranian medieval city of Sabzevar.
Description
Shindand is known as a beautiful city to every resident of Afghanistan . On its northern outskirts there is a large airdrome (civil and military aviation) operated by the OKSVA air fleet during the Afghan war (1979-1989). Today it hosts the Air Force of the American, Afghan and Italian forces of the anti-Taliban association.
The borders of Shindanda (Afghanistan) are enclosed in a ring road, which, with the financial support of the Iranian authorities, has recently been laid in the border areas (in all western) with Iran of Afghanistan. The Afghan army promotes the work of a free medical clinic that provides medical services to residents of the metropolis. Geographically, the city is located on the outskirts of the Zirko Valley - one of the most important poppy processing centers in Western Afghanistan.
It should be noted that the limited contingent of Soviet troops in Afghanistan (OKSVA) is the official name of the group of the USSR Armed Forces, located until 1989 in the Republic of Afghanistan.
Forces and means
What is famous for Shindand (Afghanistan)? It is known that the province of Herat was included in the zone of responsibility of the 5th Motorized Rifle Guards Division (“RPM” of the city: Shindand and Herat) OKSVA and served as its permanent deployment point.
The ground forces and means of this division were:
- 101st Motorized Rifle Regiment (Herat);
- 12th Motorized Rifle Guards Regiment (Herat);
- 371st Motor Rifle Guards Regiment (Shindand);
- 1060th artillery regiment (Shindand);
- 650th separate reconnaissance Prague Battalion of the Order of Alexander Nevsky (Shindand);
- 68th separate engineer-engineer guards battalion (Shindand) and others.
Hostilities
Many people like to view photos of Shindanda (Afghanistan). It is known that in the period from July 1980 to April 1984 in the provinces of Herat, in the counties of Shindand and Herat, special tasks were carried out by the units "Cascade" (special forces of the KGB of the USSR), "Karpaty-1", "Karpaty".
The execution of significant combined-arms operations to seize the Kokari-Sharshari fortified zone filled the wide front of an inaccessible mountainous region in the Iran-Afghanistan border region, where, in the case of diplomatic relevance, the leadership strengthened OKSVA formations.
To land an air tactical assault landing method in the mountainous areas of the province of Herat, both additional units and OKSVA groups were involved. So, in the combined-arms process “Trap” in 1986, on August 19-25, in the province of Herat were involved:
- 149th Motor Rifle Guards Regiment and 201st Motor Rifle Division (Kunduz);
- 345th Separate Airborne Parachute Regiment (Bagram);
- 28th artillery rocket regiment of the 40th Army (Shindand);
- border detachment Takhta-Bazar KSAPO.
Air force
How did the soldiers in the Shindand region of Afghanistan fight? It is known that for transport purposes, cooperation with the OKSVA ground army during the fighting, military campaigns involved: reconnaissance, assault, fighter-bomber aircraft. The goals set by the leadership of the Air Force of the 40th Army also included the application of assault bombing strikes (BShU).
The command of the 40th Army in the province of Herat used aviation of such aircraft parts:
- 17th Separate Regiment of KSAPO (Turkmen SSR) - Mary Air Base, commanded by Colonel N. Romanyuk;
- 302nd Helicopter Separate Squadron - Herat Province, Shindand Air Base;
- 303rd Helicopter Separate Squadron - Herat Province, Herat Air Base;
- 335th Helicopter Separate Regiment - Nangarhar Province, Jalalabad Air Base;
- 378th Separate Air Assault Regiment - Parvan-Kandahar Province, Bagram-Kandahar Air Base;
- 50th Aviation Separate Mixed Regiment, Kabul Airport;
- 200th Aviation Separate Assault Squadron - Shindand Terminal;
- 154th separate fighter-bomber regiment - Kandahar terminal;
- The 378th Aviation Separate Assault Regiment - Shindand Airfield.
Heaven gate
Do you know what the airfield of Shindanda (Afghanistan) was? A photo of the object is presented below. In fact, this terminal is located near Shindand, at an altitude of 1158 m above sea level. It is equipped with a runway of 2700 x 48 m. The 302nd OVE (helicopter separate squadron - Mi-8MT, Mi-24, attached Mi-6) operated in western Afghanistan. Maneuvering zone: in latitude - from the Soviet border (Turagundi-Kushka) to the southern part of the republic - the desert Gerishka, Zaranja, Lashkargakh (Loshkarevka) and further, in longitude - from the Iranian border to the mountain Chagcharan.
In 1986, December 22, the composition of the 302nd OVE under the leadership of Lieutenant Colonel Shvetsov replaced the Aleksandrovskaya Black Hundred and completed activities in the rank of Shvetsov’s Wild Division in 1987, October 23.
Today, the airbase is used by the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). At the airport, the 838th advisory and expeditionary group of the US Air Force is deployed . The group takes part in the ISAF and in the NATO Training Mission in Afghanistan.
Shindand also houses the 3rd wing of the Afghan National Air Force.
Operation Trap
What military operations involved the city of Shindand (Afghanistan)? It is known that in 1986, on August 18-26, Soviet troops in Afghanistan conducted a military operation under the code name “Trap”. It was a large-scale combined-arms air-ground campaign, which was carried out in the western province of Herat. The purpose of the joint planned operation of the OKSVA and the official forces of the DRA (the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of State Security and the Armed Forces of the DRA) was to destroy the rear support agencies and members of the Afghan armed opposition "United Western Group" of the famous field commander Ismail Khan.
The action was carried out in three phases on the impressive front of the mountain and plain zones: in the border region with Iran, the mountainous region of Sharshari and in the old Herat district. In the plains of the first and third stages of the operation, areas adjacent to Herat were cleared from members of local groups, and the Kokari-Shaishari base area, the most important transshipment and stronghold on the border with Iran, was conquered on the mountain.
This operation was recognized as one of the most successful combined arms large-scale operations of OKSVA in the annals of the Battle of Afghanistan (1979-1989).
Military campaign
Units and units of the OKSVA were involved in Operation Trap: the 5th Motor Rifle Guards Division, located in the province of Herat, the 149th Motor Rifle Guards Regiment (Kunduz) and the 345th Airborne Separate Guards Regiment (Bagram), the impressive Air Force from airbases of Shindand, Kabul, Bagram, Mary (Turkmen SSR) and Jalalabad. The 17th Infantry Division, the 5th Panzer Brigade and others were brought in from the DRA Armed Forces.
The death of the attack aircraft "Su-25"
So, you already know that the Shindand air base (Afghanistan) took an active part in the hostilities. Cooperation with ground attacking forces of the troops was carried out by Su-25 attack aircraft of the 378th OSHAP, which took off from the air base of Shindand. Their assault bomb attacks were aimed at destroying engineering ties on the line adjacent to Iran - in the area of the Kokari-Sharshari base zone, and suppressing enemy firing points.
At the same time, anti-aircraft guns ZU-23-4 and a variety of MANPADS of the enemy constantly fired retaliatory aimed fire. In August 23, 1986, an English Sukhoi MANPADS Blowpipe (air-to-air missile) from the lands of a foreign Iran shot down the Su-25 attack aircraft of the 378th OSHAP, led by captain A. G. Smirnov. The aircraft at that moment was on the main line of the battle and out of the dive.
The aircraft began to roll over, as it lost control and was eliminated. The pilot was able to eject, he was evacuated from the landing site by helicopter.
Scale
When the military operation began in the province of Herat (in 1986, August 18), the commander of the air regiment appointed leading groups. The leader followed the scout who set the goals and followed another 24 crews, guided along the riverbed of the Gerirud.
The aim of the flat phase of the campaign was to ensure the safe movement of convoys of armored vehicles and vehicles on the Kushka-Herat-Kandahar highway carrying military, humanitarian and civilian cargoes in the provinces of Helmand and Kandahar.
The pilots needed to clear the area of Herat from the enemy by assault bombing and destroy the infrastructure of the Mujahideen. The flights lasted several weeks. When the final departure was over, armored vehicles and soldiers went from Kandahar and Shindand, helicopters took off. From above it was clearly visible how large-scale the operation was.
Conclusion 5-1 Guards The MSD from the garrison along the route Shindand - Herat - Turugundi - Kushka began, according to the schedule, on January 29, 1989. The final ones were PP 371 SMEs, PP 101 SMEs. The withdrawal of the division ended in 1989, February 15. The unit became the place of permanent deployment in the city of Kushka.