Battle for Hill 3234

Battle for Hill 3234
Part of the Soviet–Afghan War
Date 7–8 January 1988 (1 day) Location Paktia Province, near the Afghanistan–Pakistan border 33°20′53″N 69°18′10″E / 33.3481°N 69.3028°E / 33.3481; 69.3028 Result Soviet/Afghan Government victory
Belligerents
Soviet Union Supported by: Republic Of Afghanistan	Haqqani Network  Pakistan
Commanders and leaders
Sergey Tkachyov Mohammad Najibullah	Jalaluddin Haqqani Zia-ul-Haq
Strength
39 soldiers[1] Unknown	250 200–400[2][3]
Casualties and losses
Soviet Union 6 killed 28 wounded[1] Afghanistan 3 wounded	200 killed 250 killed[4]

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, in Afghanistan against a force of some 250 Mujahideen rebels who were supported by several Pakistani mercenaries^[5] in early January 1988. Two of the soldiers killed, Vyacheslav Aleksandrov and Andrey Melnikov, were posthumously awarded the Gold Star of the Hero of the Soviet Union. All of the paratroopers in this battle were given the Order of the Red Banner and Order of the Red Star.^[1]