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Database of Afghan Ballistic Missile Attacks on Pakistan (1989 -1990)

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In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

Salaam to all the Muslims,

Syria-Armed-Forces.jpg


Prelude

I came across this by accident while I was searching for something else in regards to the Soviet-Pakistan skirmishes on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border during the 1980s.

While I searched, all the sources pointed to Afghanistan launching SCUD-B ballistic missile attacks on Pakistan in 1988. It appeared to me that the generalisation of these attacks were misreported in the 1990s, which were then re-reported inaccurately in various news articles, books, magazines and on the internet for the past two decades.

After searching in various American news archives, I have found only two of the Afghan attacks as having been reported. However, the total number of actual attacks on Pakistan tallied up to 16 with at least 17 SCUD-B missiles landing in Pakistani territory.

Lack of reporting of these daring attacks by the Soviet-backed Afghan Government was due to the fact that the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan came to an end on February 15, 1989. At the very same time, war between Iran and Iraq also came to a close while the build up to the First Gulf War began in 1990. As a result of these factors Pakistan and Afghanistan were forgotten to most of the world and the Civil War in Afghanistan was never fully reported.

Alhamdu'lillah, after searching through the archives of the United Nations' documents section for many man hours, I have finally found all the reported incidents of these attacks.

This is the actual recorded evidence of this forgotten history and the fact that at one point, Afghanistan was armed with over 2,000 SCUD-B ballistic missiles while Pakistan desperately tried to launch its own ballistic missile program. This forced Pakistan's then Chief of the Army Staff General (retired) Mirza Aslam Beg to announce on Sunday February 5, 1989 that Pakistan had successfully carried out its own first two ballistic missile tests in the country.

The indiscriminate attacks by Afghans further forced the then Democratically Elected Prime Minister of Pakistan Benazir Bhutto to visit North Korea in December 1993 to seek missile technology. Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto is then reported to have said in an interview in China that Pakistan was forced to approach the North Koreans in order to protect her country against the ballistic missile attacks coming from Afghanistan.

All thanks is to Allah Aza'Wa-Jall for helping me collate this information. Any further input in regards to this would be most welcome.

Salaam to all the Muslims.
 
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Soviets Said to Deploy Missiles in Kabul
Wednesday November 02, 1988

By ROBERT PEAR, Special to the New York Times


The United States accused the Soviet Union today of deploying advanced missiles in Kabul, the Afghan capital, and said they posed a threat to Pakistan.

Charles E. Redman, the State Department spokesman, said the United States had learned of the missile deployment in the last 24 hours. A State Department official said the missiles, of a type known in the West as the Scud, had been driven past the American Embassy in Kabul.

Mr. Redman said the missiles had a range that ''puts the western frontier of Pakistan and much of Afghanistan itself within striking distance.'' The Pakistan border is about 60 miles from Kabul.

The American accusation came as the Soviet press agency Tass, in a report from Kabul, said the Afghan armed forces had reported obtaining ''long-range missiles with great destructive power.'' The Tass report did not specify the class, type or source of the missiles.

Jets and Bombers Deployed

On Friday, State Department officials said the Soviet Union had deployed about 30 ground attack planes, MIG-27 jets, in Afghanistan for offensive operations. The officials said the planes arrived late last month at the Shindand air base, in the western part of Afghanistan, and have been used to block an assault by Afghan guerrillas on Kandahar, the second biggest city in Afghanistan.

On Monday, Michael H. Armacost, the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, met with the Soviet Ambassador here, Yuri V. Dubinin, and expressed ''grave concern'' about the Soviets' use of Backfire bombers to hit targets in Afghanistan near Kandahar. Defense Department officials said the bombers were based at Mary, in the Soviet Union, across the border from the western Afghan city of Herat.

The increase in Afghan military weaponry comes as the Soviets have completed about half of the withdrawal of their more than 100,000 troops in Afghanistan. Under agreements signed in Geneva in April, the Soviets are supposed to withdraw all their troops by Feb. 15.

Mr. Redman said that deployment of the Scud missiles, combined with the deployment of MIG-27's and the use of Backfire bombers, ''calls into question the Soviets' stated desire to achieve a genuine political settlement in Afghanistan.''

Missiles Are Not Very Accurate

Scud is the designation used by NATO for a family of heavy artillery rockets operated by the Soviet Union and some of its allies for many years. Mr. Redman said the missiles in Kabul were believed to be of the Scud B variety. That model has a range of about 170 miles, according Jane's Weapon Systems, an authoritative reference work. The missiles are about 37 feet long and are deployed on eight-wheel transporters.

The Soviet Union has sold a version of the Scud to many countries, including Iraq, which modified the missiles to extend their range so they could hit Teheran, the capital of Iran.

The missiles are not very accurate. State Department officials said they surmised that the Soviets' main purpose in deploying them in Afghanistan was to intimidate Pakistan, which has been the main conduit for the delivery of American weapons to the Afghan guerrillas.

Mr. Redman said display of the Scud missiles ''is only the latest attempt by the Soviets to prop up a desperate regime which lacks legitimacy among the Afghan people and clearly demonstrates that the regime is incapable of defending itself.''

Guerrillas Get Stinger Missiles

''If the purpose of these latest military developments is to threaten Pakistan, the Soviet Union knows that Pakistan enjoys our full support in this situation,'' Mr. Redman said. He noted that the United States had vowed to continue supplying weapons to the Afghan guerrillas as long as the Soviets continued sending arms to the Kabul Government.

The Tass report today said the missiles were needed, in part, to respond to increased rocket attacks on Afghan cities, including Kabul, by the rebels.

Andrew L. Eiva, chairman of the Federation for American Afghan Action, which lobbies for military aid to the guerrillas, said today, ''At least two of the seven resistance groups have recently received small numbers of Stinger antiaircraft missiles'' from the United States.
'
'Nevertheless, in recent months, American officials have been pressing the resistance forces to refrain from attacking Soviet forces in Afghanistan,'' he said. ''I hope that doesn't tempt the Soviets to extend their stay.''

TEST-FIRING ANNOUNCED BY TASS

MOSCOW, Nov. 1 (Special to The New York Times) - In its report today from Kabul, Tass quoted the general staff of the Afghan armed forces as saying that ''a new kind of weapon, namely long-range missiles with a great destructive power, was adopted for service by the Afghan Army to defend territorial integrity and national sovereignty and repel foreign aggression.''

Tass added that the general staff had informed citizens that one missile would be test-fired tonight, suggesting the rockets are large enough to attract attention across the capital when they are launched.

A Western diplomat here who follows developments in Afghanistan said short-range Soviet missiles, most likely the kind sent to Afghanistan, would not be particularly useful in combatting guerrilla units that are dispersed through the rugged mountains and valleys of the country.

''It's hard to see how they could be used in a guerrilla war,'' the diplomat said.

The introduction of new weapons may be part of a Soviet effort to shore up defenses in the final phase of its withdrawal. Moscow has said repeatedly that it would take whatever military measures it considered necessary to defend Soviet forces during the withdrawal.

The New York Times (Wednesday November 2, 1988)
Soviets Said to Deploy Missiles in Kabul - New York Times
 
Sir jee there are still a handful of them (launchers & missiles) in our stock :D

At least that circumstance thought you guys to copy missile technology :omghaha:

Use the launchers to send me some Chalgoozeiii & I'd use mine to send you some Nihari ! :azn:

Warnaaa Bhai...Bhai par touuu golaaaa barooood nahin pheeenk saktaaa naaa ? :fie:
 
U.S. Sees Soviet Blackmail in Missile Parade in Kabul
Wednesday November 02, 1988


NORMAN KEMPSTER | Times Staff Writer


WASHINGTON — The Reagan Administration, escalating its criticism of a Soviet arms buildup in Afghanistan, accused Moscow on Tuesday of trying to blackmail the pro-Western government of Pakistan by parading ballistic missiles through the streets of Kabul.

State Department spokesman Charles Redman said the Scud-B missile, apparently identical to a weapon used by Iraq in the war-of-the-cities phase of its conflict with Iran, has a range that could put much of western Pakistan at risk.

"If the purpose of these latest military developments is to threaten Pakistan, the Soviet Union knows that Pakistan enjoys our full support," Redman said.

But when asked how Washington would respond to a Soviet attack on Pakistan, Redman dismissed the question as hypothetical.

'Great Destructive Power'

In Moscow, the Soviet news agency Tass said the Soviet Union has supplied the Afghan army with missiles of "great destructive power" that would be used against the U.S.-backed Islamic insurgents fighting to topple the Soviet-backed Afghan regime. Tass said the missiles had been paraded through Kabul, the Afghan capital.

A senior State Department official scoffed at Soviet statements that the missiles would be used against the moujahedeen guerrillas. He described the Scud as "a terror weapon" because its range, payload and relative inaccuracy make it far more effective against civilian population centers than against military targets.

U.S. military assistance to the moujahedeen is funneled through Pakistan. Moscow, focusing on Pakistan as the weak link in the rebels' supply chain, has sought to pressure the Pakistani government into ending its support for the insurgents.

'Desperate Regime'

On Monday, before the delivery of the Scud missiles was reported, Undersecretary of State Michael H. Armacost protested to Soviet Ambassador Yuri V. Dubinin over raids against moujahedeen positions near the southern town of Kandahar by Soviet Backfire bombers. Armacost also complained about Soviet deployment of MIG-27 fighter-bombers in Afghanistan.

Redman said the Backfire raids continued Tuesday, and he added: "This display (of Scuds) is only the latest attempt by the Soviets to prop up a desperate regime which lacks legitimacy among the Afghan people and clearly demonstrates that the regime is incapable of defending itself."

The Scud-B is capable of carrying an 1,100-pound, high-explosive warhead about 190 miles. Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, is about 200 miles from Kabul. The Pakistani border town of Peshawar, a base for many rebel groups, is well within the range of Scuds deployed in the Afghan capital. But the missile is so inaccurate that it is expected to hit within a half-mile of its target only half the time.

On Monday, Soviet Foreign Ministry spokesman Gennady I. Gerasimov said that Moscow is stepping up arms shipments to Afghanistan, including the "most advanced" weapons in the Soviet arsenal, in order to counter increased Pakistani arms supplies to the moujahedeen.

A statement by the Afghan general staff, made public in Afghanistan and carried by Tass on Tuesday, said that "extremists, instigated by their Pakistani patrons," have not heeded warnings to stop shelling populated areas in Afghanistan.

Redman said Monday that the Soviet government had assured the United States that it would refrain from offensive operations in Afghanistan except to protect its own troops during their withdrawal.

Los Angeles Times (Wednesday November 2, 1988)
U.S. Sees Soviet Blackmail in Missile Parade in Kabul - Los Angeles Times
 
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Kabul Accuses Pakistan of Planning Invasion
Sunday February 12, 1989

Reuters


President Najibullah accused Pakistan today of planning to invade Afghanistan with the intention of annexing the country.

In a speech broadcast on television and radio, he said Pakistani military units were massing on the border near the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad.

''Undoubtedly they are preparing to attack Jalalabad,'' he said. Mr. Najibullah, whose Government is backed by the Soviet Union, was speaking four days before Moscow was due to complete its pullout from Afghanistan.

The Afghan leader said Pakistan's President, Gulam Ishaq Khan, had revealed his intentions at a recent news conference. ''His remarks show that Pakistan is intending to annex Afghanistan under the pretext of confederation,'' Mr. Najibullah said. He did not repeat Mr. Ishaq Khan's comments. Accusations Linked to Council

Pakistan has been a strong supporter of the Afghan guerrillas, allowing them to operate from bases on its territory and channeling United States and other Western arms to them.

Mr. Najibullah's ruling group, the People's Democratic Party, has accused the Pakistani military of sending officers on forays with the rebels or providing artillery support for rebel offensives near the frontier. Today's speech was the strongest such attack.

Mr. Najibullah linked his accusations to a council being held in Pakistan by Afghan guerrilla leaders and other delegates aimed at forming an interim government. He said the council was being controlled by Pakistani intelligence services and the military.

The New York Times (Sunday February 12, 1989)
Kabul Accuses Pakistan of Planning Invasion - New York Times
 
AFGHAN ATTACK NO. 01
Thursday April 6, 1989

Date: Thursday April 6, 1989
Time: Night
Number of Missile(s) Fired: 1
Area Missile Landed: Torkham
Casulties: 0

Official Pakistani Letter to United Nations
United Nations Letter Code: A/44/218
Letter Date: April 10, 1989
United Nations Documents: Documents - United Nations

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Spartanburg Herald-Journal (Sunday April 9, 1989)
Herald-Journal - Google News Archive Search


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Flight Global International (Saturday April 22, 1989)
sea harrier | 1989 | 1105 | Flight Archive


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The Gainesville Sun (Sunday April 9, 1989)
Gainesville Sun - Google News Archive Search
 
Afghan Missile Strikes Pakistan
Sunday April 09, 1989

By JOHN F. BURNS, Special to the New York Times


In an unusual acknowledgment, the Afghan Government said today that a Soviet-supplied Scud-B missile was accidentally fired across the border into Pakistan early Friday.

Pakistan confirmed that the missile had struck Pakistani territory, saying it hit close to where the road between the Jalalabad and Peshawar, Pakistan, crosses the border. Pakistan said there had been no casualties.

The accuracy of the Scud-B missiles has been in doubt since the Afghan Army began firing batteries of the weapons from a Government base at Darulaman, 10 miles south of Kabul, last month to defend the besieged city of Jalalabad, 90 miles east of Kabul.

The missile, which has a range of about 250 miles, is said by Western military experts to be inaccurate for the purposes that the Kabul forces have claimed to be using them, against guerrilla concentrations outside Jalalabad. Western experts have said that the army is risking hitting Jalalabad, a city of about 200,000 residents, by targeting guerrilla positions as close as five miles from the city. [ A Pakistani Foreign Ministry statement warned that the Afghan Government risked ''serious consequences'' with such firings into Pakistani territory. ] Senior Soviet officials here said this week that Government forces owe much of their success in defending Jalalabad to the Scuds, batteries of which have been flown into Kabul airport aboard the Soviet jet transports that have been flying a heavy airlift into the capital for the last month.

The Soviet officials claimed that the missiles had suceeded in driving the guerrillas back from the Jalalabad airport after they had taken positions inside the airport perimeter, and had also been used to drive guerrillas out of the Government military garrison at Samarkhel, 15 miles southeast of the city, after it had been overrun.

The battle for Jalalabad, which enters its sixth week tomorrow, appears to remain at a stalemate. Heavy bombardment of the city has continued in recent days, apparently from guerrilla rocket and artillery positions in the low-lying hills that extend to within a few miles of the city from the Pakistani border, 30 miles to the east.

A Government bulletin today said that there had been new fighting near the town of Surobi, midway between Kabul and Jalalabad on a highway that has been a major strategic target for the guerrillas.

The New York Times (Sunday April 09, 1989)
Afghan Missile Strikes Pakistan - NYTimes.com
 
SCUD MISSILE HITS PAKISTANI BORDER POST
Sunday, April 9 1989 12:00 a.m. MDT

A Soviet-made missile fired from Afghanistan hit a Pakistani border post in "a brazen act of provocation," Pakistan said Saturday, and a Moslem rebel leader said the guerrillas were poised for a new assault on strategic Jalalabad.

A Foreign Ministry statement said the long-range Scud missile hit the border post of Torkham, in the Khyber pass, Thursday. It said the missile, which has a range of 280 miles, caused extensive damage at the base, which is believed to be a training camp for Afghan rebels.

Deseret News (Sunday April, 1989)
SCUD MISSILE HITS PAKISTANI BORDER POST | Deseret News
 
AFGHAN ATTACK NO. 02
Thursday May 4, 1989

Date: Thursday May 4, 1989
Time: 08:20 Hours
Number of Missile(s) Fired: 1
Area Missile Landed: Near Kharruba Afghan Refugee Camp, Bannu District
Casulties: 2 Martyred, 14 injured

Official Pakistani Letter to United Nations
United Nations Letter Code: A/44/267
Letter Date: May 4, 1988
United Nations Documents: Documents - United Nations

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AFGHAN MISSILE KILLED THREE AT REFUGEE CAMP, PAKISTAN SAYS
Friday May 5, 1989

A Scud missile fired by Afghan government forces exploded in a refugee camp in Pakistan yesterday, killing at least three people and injuring 17, according to the government and hospital sources. It was the second Scud attack in the last month and followed warnings by the Kabul government that it would retaliate if Pakistan continued to give military assistance to Muslim rebels inside Afghanistan. A government announcement quoted on state-run television said the missile exploded at...

Philadelphia Inquirer (May 5, 1989)
Philadelphia Inquirer: Search Results
 
yes remember that...
Heard that in the news when it happened....In the "Khabarnama" :D

some scuds were up for sale in our Tribal areas too......
 
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