What is the Shindand metropolis in Afghanistan? What kind of military operations were carried out here? We will answer these and other questions in the article. Shindand is a city and the capital of the Shindand district 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 to everyone in Afghanistan as a beautiful city. On its northern outskirts there is a large airfield (civil and military aviation), operated by the OKSVA air fleet during the Afghan war (1979-1989). Today, it houses the air forces of the American, Afghan and Italian forces of the anti-Taliban association.
The borders of Shindand (Afghanistan) are enclosed in a ring road, which, with the financial support of the Iranian authorities, was recently laid in the border regions of Afghanistan (in all western regions) with Iran. The Afghan army facilitates the operation of a free medical clinic that provides medical services to residents of the metropolis. Geographically, the city is located onon 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 grouping of the USSR Armed Forces, located until 1989 in the Republic of Afghanistan.
Forces and means
What is Shindand (Afghanistan) famous for? It is known that the province of Herat was included in the area of responsibility of the 5th Motorized Rifle Guards Division (“RPD” of the cities: Shindand and Herat) OKSVA and served as the point of its permanent deployment.
The ground forces and assets of this division were:
- 101st Motor Rifle Regiment (Herat);
- 12th Motor Rifle Guards Regiment (Herat);
- 371st Motor Rifle Guards Regiment (Shindand);
- 1060th Artillery Regiment (Shindand);
- 650th Independent Prague Reconnaissance Battalion of the Order of Alexander Nevsky (Shindand);
- 68th Separate Engineer Guards Battalion (Shindand) and others.
Military action
Many people like to look at the photo of Shindand (Afghanistan). It is known that in the period from July 1980 to April 1984 in the province of Herat, in the districts of Shindand and Herat, special tasks were carried out by the detachments "Cascade" (special forces of the KGB of the USSR), "Karpaty-1", "Karpaty".
The course of execution of significant combined-arms operations to capture the Kokari-Sharshari fortified zone filled a wide front of a remote mountainous area in the Iranian-Afghanborder area, where, in case of diplomatic appropriateness, the leadership strengthened OKSVA formations.
Additional units and OKSVA groups were involved in the landing of tactical airborne troops in the mountainous zones of the province of Herat. So, in the combined-arms process "Trap" in 1986, on August 19-25, in the province of Herat were involved:
- 149th Guards Motorized Rifle Regiment and 201st Motorized Rifle Division (Kunduz);
- 345th Separate Airborne Regiment (Bagram);
- 28th Artillery Regiment of the 40th Army (Shindand);
- border detachment Tahta-Bazar KSAPO.
Air Force
How did the soldiers in the Shindand region (Afghanistan) fight? It is known that for transport needs, cooperation with the OKSVA ground army during the hostilities, reconnaissance, attack, and fighter-bomber aviation were involved in military campaigns. The goals set by the leadership of the Air Force of the 40th Army also included assault bombing strikes (BShU).
The command of the 40th Army in the province of Herat used aviation of the following air units:
- 17th separate regiment of the KSAPO (Turkmen SSR) - Mary air base, commanded by Colonel N. Romanyuk;
- 302nd Separate Helicopter Squadron - Herat Province, Shindand Air Base;
- 303rd Separate Helicopter Squadron - Herat Province, Herat Air Base;
- 335th Separate Helicopter Regiment - Nangarhar Province, Jalalabad Air Base;
- 378th Assault Separate Aviation Regiment -Parwan-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;
- 378th Aviation Separate Assault Regiment - Shindand airfield.
Heaven's Gate
Do you know what the Shindanda airfield (Afghanistan) was like? 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 2700 x 48 m runway. The 302nd OVE (a separate helicopter squadron - Mi-8MT, Mi-24, attached Mi-6) operated in the west of 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 mountainous Chagcharan.
In 1986, on December 22, the composition of the 302nd OVE under the leadership of Lieutenant Colonel Shvetsov replaced the "Alexander Black Hundred" and completed his activities in the rank of "Shvetsov's Wild Division" in 1987, on October 23.
Today, the air base is used by the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). The 838th Advisory and Expeditionary Group of the US Air Force is stationed at the airfield. The group takes part in ISAF and the NATO Training Mission in Afghanistan.
The 3rd Wing of the Afghan National Air Force is also stationed in Shindand.
Operation Trap
In what military operations wasIs the city of Shindand (Afghanistan) involved? 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 (Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of State Security and the Armed Forces of the DRA) was to destroy the logistics support and members of the Afghan armed opposition of the "United Western Group" of the famous field commander Ismail Khan.
The action was carried out in three phases on the impressive front of the mountainous and lowland zones: in the border with Iran, the mountainous region of Sharshari and in the district of old Herat. At the flat first and third stages of the operation, the areas adjacent to Herat were cleared of members of local groups, on the mountainous base, the Kokari-Shaishari base area, the most important transit and stronghold on the border with Iran, was conquered.
This operation was recognized as one of the most successful large-scale combined-arms operations of OKSVA in the annals of the Afghan battle (1979-1989).
Military campaign
Operation "Trap" involved formations and units of OKSVA: the 5th Motorized Rifle Guards Division, located in the province of Herat, the 149th Motorized Rifle Guards Regiment (Kunduz) and the 345th Airborne Parachute Guards Regiment (Bagram)), an impressive force of the Air Force from the air bases of Shindanda, Kabul, Bagram, Mary (Turkmen SSR) and Jalalabad. From the Armed Forces of the DRA, the 17th Infantry Division, 5th Brigade was involvedtank and others.
The death of the Su-25 attack aircraft
So, you already know that the Shindand airbase (Afghanistan) took an active part in hostilities. The Su-25 attack aircraft of the 378th OSHAP, which took off from the Shindand airbase, cooperated with the ground attacking forces of the troops. Their assault bombing strikes were aimed at destroying engineering communications on the line adjacent to Iran - in the area of the Kokari-Sharshari base zone, and suppressing enemy firing points.
At the same time, ZU-23-4 anti-aircraft guns and various enemy MANPADS were constantly returning aimed fire. In 1986, on August 23, the Su-25 attack aircraft of the 378th OSHAP, led by Captain A. G. Smirnov, was shot down by the English Blowpipe MANPADS (surface-to-air missile) from the lands of border Iran. The board at that moment was on the main battle line and was coming out of a dive.
The plane began to roll, as it lost control and was eliminated. The pilot was able to eject and 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 marked the targets and led 24 more crews, orienting along the bed of the Harirud River.
The purpose of the flat phase of the campaign was to provide security for the movement of columns of armored vehicles and vehicles on the Kushka-Herat-Kandahar highway, transporting military, humanitarian and civiliancargo in Helmand and Kandahar provinces.
The pilots had to clear the Herat region of the enemy and destroy the infrastructure of the Mujahideen with assault bombing. The flights lasted several weeks. When the last flight was completed, armored vehicles and soldiers left Kandahar and Shindand, helicopters took off. From above, it was clearly visible how large-scale the operation was.
Conclusion 5-1 Guards. MSD from the garrison along the route Shindand - Herat - Turugundi - Kushka began, in accordance with the schedule, on January 29, 1989. The final ones were RR 371 SMEs, RR 101 SMEs. The division's withdrawal ended in 1989, on February 15. The unit moved to the place of permanent deployment in the city of Kushka.
