Operation Storm-333

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Operation Storm-333
Part of Soviet war in Afghanistan
Tajbeg Palace in 1987. Photo by Mikhail Evstafiev
Date December 27, 1979 Location Tajbeg Palace, Kabul Result Soviet victory, overthrow and death of Hafizullah Amin
Belligerents
Soviet Union	Afghanistan
Commanders
Yuri Drozdov Grigoriy Boyarinov†	Hafizullah Amin†
Strength
30 from Alpha Group; 30 from Vympel Group; "Muslim" battalion of 520; 80 of marines	2,500 including Amin's personal bodyguard.
Casualties and losses
19 killed, more than 50 wounded	200 killed including Hafizullah Amin and his son; 1,700 captured; around 200 wounded

v • d • e Soviet war in Afghanistan Storm-333 – Khost – Panjsher – Maravar Pass – Badaber – Zhawar – Jaji – Magistral – Hill 3234 – Arrow – Soviet withdrawal

Operation Storm-333 («Шторм-333») was the name of the special operation on December 27, 1979 in which Soviet troops stormed the Tajbeg Palace in Afghanistan and killed President Hafizullah Amin and his 300 elite guards.

Several other government buildings were seized during the operation, including the Ministry of Interior building, the Internal Security (KHAD) building, and the General Staff building (Darul Aman Palace). Alpha Group's veterans call this operation one of the most successful in the group's history.

[edit] Soviet forces and losses

Taking part in the operation were 24 men from «Гром» ("Thunder") unit of Alpha Group, and 30 operators from another special KGB group: «Зенит» ("Zenith"). There were also 520 men from the 154th Separate Spetsnaz Detachment of the USSR Ministry of Defence, known as the "Muslim battalion" because it consisted exclusively of soldiers from the southern republics of the USSR, and 87 troops of the Air Landing company. ^[1]

In the operation Alpha Group lost 2 men, Zenith group lost 3, the Muslim battalion 5, and the Air Landing company 9. More than 50 were wounded in total.^[2]

[edit] References

1. ^ (Russian) Article on Storm-333 at VPK-news.ru
2. ^ (Russian) Baikal-79 by A. Lyakhovskiy

• Lyakhovskiy, Aleksandr (January 2007). "Inside the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the Seizure of Kabul, December 1979". Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. Retrieved on 2007-09-25.

• Grau, Lester. "The Take-Down of Kabul: An Effective Coup de Main". GlobalSecurity.org. Retrieved on 2007-09-25.

Coordinates: 34°27′17″N 69°06′48″E / 34.45472, 69.11333