First Battle of Jalalabad Airport

First Battle of Jalalabad Airport
	Part of Afghan Civil War (1989–1992), Battle of Jalalabad (1989) and Afghanistan–Pakistan skirmishes
Date	6–8 March
Location	Jalalabad Airport, Republic Of Afghanistan
Result	Disputed Second Battle of Jalalabad Airport Begins on March 9th;
Belligerents
Republic Of Afghanistan ; Supported by: ; Soviet Union	Afghan Interim Government: Hezb-e Islami Gulbuddin (primarily); Supported by:; United States CIA; Pakistan ISI; Al Qaeda (Arab Foreign Fighters)
Commanders and leaders
Mohammad Najibullah; Shahnawaz Tanai; General Barakzai †	Gulbuddin Hekmatyar ; Hamid Gul
Units involved
Afghan Army 9th Infantry Division; 10th Engineer-Sapper Regiment; 11th Infantry Division; Ministry of Interior: 7th Operative Regiment (Sarandoy); 8th Border Guard Brigade; Afghan National Guard: Unknown tank battalion; Afghan Air Force Revolution Defense Groups	Interim Afghan Government: 5 Detachments; Pakistan Pakistani Volunteers;
Strength
Afghanistan: Unknown;	Hezb-I-Islami Gulbuddin: 3,300; 11 T-54Ms; 3 BMPs; 2 BTR-60PB; 2 BRDM-2; 55 mortars; 12 howitzers; 79 rocket launchers; Pakistan Unknown;
Casualties and losses
Republic Of Afghanistan 71 killed; 122 wounded; 2 airport employees killed; 1 Antonov An-26 transport plane destroyed;	Afghan Government in Exile: Unknown; Pakistan Unknown;

The First Battle of Jalalabad Airport was a battle between fighters associated with the Afghan Interim Government and Afghan government forces that took place at Jalalabad Airport on 6–8 March 1989, as part of the Battle of Jalalabad and the greater Afghan Civil War. that began after the Soviets withdrew from the country in February 1989. A second battle broke out at the airport on 9 March 1989.^[4]

Background[edit]

In February 1989 the Soviet Union withdrew its forces from the Republic of Afghanistan as part of the Geneva Accords. In March 1989 the Afghan Interim Government launched an attack on the Eastern city of Jalalabad with the support of the Pakistani Inter-Service Intelligence. The Americans reportedly were motivated by their wish to humiliate the Marxists and send them out of Afghanistan "clinging to their helicopters", thus avenge the fall of South Vietnam; Pakistan wished to establish a friendly government in Kabul led by the Peshawar Seven.^[5]

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h "What Happened In The Battle Of Jalalabad?". rebellionresearch. 5 April 2022. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
^ "AFGHANISTAN REBELS LOSE KEY BATTLE". Washington Post. 8 July 1989. Retrieved 20 December 2019. It also is a setback to the U.S.-Pakistani policy that supports the guerrillas in their fight against the Kabul government of President Najibullah.
^ ^a ^b "The Lessons Of Jalalabad; Afghan Guerrillas See Weaknesses Exposed". New York Times. 13 April 1989. Casualties have been high on both sides. Government troops have been reduced by heavy guerrilla shelling and rocketing from 12,000 to 9,000, Western diplomats say....The Afghan Air Force is said to be taking advantage of the fact that, probably for the first time in the war, guerrilla forces are concentrated in static positions, which make them easier bombing targets.
^ Fleiss, Alex (5 April 2022). "What happened in the battle of Jalalabad?". Rebellion Research. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
^ Battle of Jalalabad – Operation Jalalabad – Pak-Afg war, 1989, retrieved 20 May 2023