Operation Curtain

Operation Curtain
Part of Soviet–Afghan War

Special Forces soldiers are preparing for a helicopter flight in a search group.
DateMarch 1984 – April 1988
Location
15 border provinces, Afghanistan
Result

Tactical Soviet Success

  • 12–15% of supply caravans intercepted
  • Heavy losses for the Mujahideen
Belligerents

 Soviet Union

Afghanistan Republic Of Afghanistan

Afghan Mujahideen

 Pakistan

Supported by:
Iran Iran
Commanders and leaders

Soviet Union Sergei Sokolov
Soviet Union Valentin Varennikov
Soviet Union Boris Gromov

Afghanistan Mohammad Najibullah

Afghanistan Shahnawaz Tanai

Ismail Khan

Pakistan Zia-ul-Haq


Armed by:
Iran Ruhollah Khomeini
Units involved

40th Army (OKSVA) Afghan Army[citation needed]

  • 9th Infantry Division
    • 55th Motorized Infantry Brigade

Interim Afghan Government

Pakistan Pakistan

  • ISI

Iran Iran

Unknown
Strength
11,000 intelligence and special forces personnel[1] Tens of thousands of local and foreign fighters
Casualties and losses

Special forces only:[2]

  • 570 killed
  • 11 missing
 17,000 killed,
825 captured

Operation Curtain (also referred to as Caravan war) was set of raids and ambushes conducted by Soviet spetsnaz troops to block the Pakistani-Afghan and Iranian-Afghani border during the Soviet–Afghan War.[3]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference ВВ was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Алфавитный список погибших военнослужащих частей специального назначения 40-й Армии Архивировано
  3. ^ Спецназ ГРУ. Том 3. Афганистан - звездный час спецназа. 1979-1989гг [Special Forces of the GRU. Volume 3. Afghanistan - the finest hour of the special forces. 1979-1989]. М.: НПИД «Русская панорама». 2013. pp. 186–539. ISBN 978-5-93165-324-2.