Siege of Khost

Infobox Military Conflict
conflict=Siege of Khost
partof=Soviet war in Afghanistan, Afghan Civil War


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date= 1980 - April 11, 1991
place=Khost, Khost Province, Afghanistan
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result=Fall of Khost
combatant1=flag|Soviet Union
flagicon|Afghanistan|1987 Democratic Republic of Afghanistan
combatant2=Afghan Mujahideen
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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 When the main Soviet force had withdrawn, Mujahideen groups cut off Khost once again, as they had done since 1981.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. [http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?frd/cstdy:@field(DOCID+af0119)]

References

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

* [http://www.sovietsdefeatinafghanistan.com/beartrap/english/14.htm "Bear Tr
] by Brigadier Mohammad Yousaf

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