The Sealed Pass

In eastern Afghanistan, there is a narrow mountain pass that soldiers once feared at night.

In 1986, during the Soviet–Afghan War, a Soviet armored truck convoy entered

this pass after sunset. The route was marked safe. No enemy movement

reported. As the convoy moved forward, their headlights began to flicker

— then one by one, they went out. The radios crackled. A driver shouted

into the darkness, “We’ve lost power!” The commander ordered an emergency stop. That’s when a single

flare rose silently from the ridge above, painting the mountains red. The convoy realized

too late — the pass had been sealed.