The Vanishing Fighters of the Valley

The first explosion hit the rear vehicle. Then the front one. The convoy was trapped. Fire came from invisible

positions, echoing so wildly the Soviets couldn’t locate the attackers. Afghan fighters

moved without leaving tracks, using the falling snow and darkness as cover.

One soldier screamed into the radio, “We can’t see them! There are no tracks!” But headquarters

never heard the call. By dawn, the snow stopped. When a recovery

unit arrived, they found burned vehicles, empty crates, and scattered weapons.

But something was missing. There were no footprints leading away from the valley —

only those leading in. Locals say the valley doesn’t erase tracks… It erases those