39 soldiers[1] Soviet Union 6 killed, 28 wounded[1] The Battle for Hill 3234 (Russian: Бой у высоты 3234, romanized: Boy u vysoty 3234) was a successful defensive battle fought by the 9th Company of the 345th Independent Guards Airborne Regiment, Soviet Airborne Troops, part of Operation Magistral, supported by the Afghan Army’s 15th Tank Brigade, 8th, 11th, 12th, 214th, 25th Infantry Division and the 37th Commando Battalion, in Afghanistan against a force of some 250 Mujahideen rebels who were supported by several Pakistani mercenaries[2][3] in early January 1988.

[1] In November 1987, the Soviet 40th Army under General Boris Gromov began Operation Magistral to open the road from Gardez to Khost near the Pakistani border.

These talks did not succeed, mostly due to the unshakable resolution of Haqqani who wanted to control the city as the core of his independent Afghan state and as a base for future incursions deeper into the country.

Before the operation, there was also a widespread propaganda campaign, with a special radio station set up, calling on the Jadran people to cease supporting the mujahideen and leave the combat areas.

One of the most important points was the nameless hill designated by its height of 3,234 metres (10,610 ft), which was assigned to the 9th company of the 345th Independent Guards Airborne Regiment led by Colonel Valery Vostrotin.

[citation needed] Shortly after landing, the airborne troopers, who were well trained and experienced in Afghan conditions, started to take up positions which covered both the road and the uphill passages.

[citation needed] The airborne troopers were attacked by a coordinated and well-armed force of between 200 and 250 mujahideen from two directions, indicating that the assailants may have been assisted by rebels trained in Pakistan.