«IN THE CIRCLE OF KUNDUZ» Page #10

As soon as the armor of the reconnaissance company passes the checkpoint, experienced scouts point the barrels of their weapons up, take them off the fuses, pull the bolts. Young fighters Sidor, Strela, Rust, Mongol, Kostyan, Koster repeat after the experienced. The column descends from the plateau, rides along a long fir alley with high crowns, goes to the highway. Old—timers with serious faces point to young people with their hands - keep your eyes open, order to be on the alert. The young are imbued with the seriousness of the situation, mobilize.

Young people are looking with interest at the light-yellow mud-brick dwellings spread along the highway, man-made aqueducts irrigating land plots, donkeys and diligent dehkans pulling loaded carts by the shafts. There are poor Afghans at the highway, waiting for the arrival of vehicles, crowding by the road on a gender basis. Men, talking to each other, standing proudly, some holding donkeys by the bridle. For the most part, Afghans look complacently, curiously at the “Shuravi”'s armor passing with the roar of engines and the clang of tracks.

Women, who attract the attention of “shuravi”, sit in a close circle, retreating a dozen meters from the gang of men. Unmarried girls always have their backs to men, to the road and to “shuravi”. The attention of the vigilant women to the unmarried ladies weakens, the unmarried look in the direction of the “shuravi”, catching their glances through the mesh of the burqa. When new people approach, as if on command, the women jump up together, they also sit down soon. Women in different colors of burqa, blue color prevails on ladies with graceful figures of young-middle age. Burgundy, dark blue burqas - on short, heavy, elderly women.

53. EXT. FOOTHILLS — EVENING.

TITLE:
JARM. SAR-E-SANG DISTRICT, AFGHAN BADAKHSHAN

A military operation, armored reconnaissance vehicles arrive in a given area. Senior lieutenant Naletov, Senior Lieutenant Petrov with platoon commanders conduct reconnaissance of the area.

NALETOV:

(teaching Petrov)

In the probable direction of the enemy's approach — in the ditches communicating with the winding log, we will hide eight units of our company armored vehicles with large-caliber “DShK” on the towers with trunks forward.

(To Kapusta, pointing to the ditch closest to the foothills)

Your BRM-1 will stand here!

(smiling)

If the “spirits” go at night, they will definitely not miss you.

(grin)

Naletov and Petrov are going away.

54. EXT. FOOTHILLS — NIGHT.

Kapustin’s BRM-1 is in a combat position. Mongol is on guard duty; his shift is over. Mongol pushes Strela, who is fast asleep.

MONGOL:

Strela, get up! Your turn!

Strela barely wakes up, shakes his head to finally wake up.

Strela slowly moistens his eyes with water from a flask, takes out a fully equipped machine gun belt, loads his PKM machine gun with it. He takes over the guard shift. Strela is tending to sleep, shivering, begins to circle around the BRM-1 armor, changing directions. Squats, dances.

A fine rain drizzles incessantly, Strela climbs onto the tower, covers his head with a raincoat tent and takes the place of the gunner-operator (left hatch), hangs his legs into the hatch. Strela activates himself in the fight against sleep, takes hold of the handle of a large caliber “DShK” mounted on a tripod to the tower, begins to drive its heavy body from edge to edge, counting the number of times in a whisper. When the number 95 is reached, the eyelids of Strela close, he slowly drops his head to the handle of the machine gun.

A rebel caravan is approaching along the dry riverbed to the positions of the BRM-1, where Strela is on duty. It is getting closer and closer, already very close. The snorting of a horse, the roar of a camel are heard.

Strela is suddenly awakened by an electric shock - in an instant he opens his eyes wide, sees in front of him a caravan of more than 3 dozen pack animals - camels, horses, accompanied by 20 armed rebels, lets them go deeper. The caravan serenely continues to move along the log, does not notice “Shuravi”'s armored vehicles. The “DShK” machine gun in the hands of Strela is ready to fire, he opens non-stop shooting.

With fire at point-blank range, having red-hot the barrel of the “DShK”, Strela stacks the rebels and animals (horses, camels) squeezed in a tight space until the machine-gun belt ends. In an instant, Kapusta, Mongol and others are connected to the shooting of the caravan from the BRM-1 cannon, the PKT turret machine gun.

The fire stops, there is silence. Sidor approaches Kapusta's BRM-1, wearing a headset, wrapped with machine gun tape, with a “PKM” machine gun at the ready. Sidor quietly sings Mikhail Smurov's song "I am an Internationalist Warrior":

SIDOR:

I'm tired of being nervous,

after all, nerves are not a knot,

I gently pull the trigger,

and coolly tracers fly through the air, and I want the same,

what they want!

(with admiration)

Yak zhah! Well, you, Strela, have hammered! As much as a whole bunch!

I'll take a closer look.

The whole company is being pulled up to Kapusta's BRM-1.

55. EXT. FOOTHILLS — IT'S GETTING LIGHT.

NALETOV:

Inspect the contents of the caravan!

The company begins to actively open unaffordable coolies and baskets.

SCOUT SOLDIERS:

Comrade Senior Lieutenant, except for the weapons that the escorts were armed with, there is no other in the caravan. But a large amount of rock with large blue-purple inclusions.

Naletov approaches, picks up a large stone, illuminates it with a flashlight, carefully examines it. Approaches a soldier with a radio station, communicates with the command.

NALETOV:

01, how do you hear?! Reception! The caravan was slaughtered! There are stones with blue inclusions in it. Weapons are missing!

On the reverse side of the communication: wait for arrival!

56. EXT. FOOTHILLS — DAY.

The head of the division's intelligence, Lieutenant Colonel ZAKHAROV, and the head of the regiment's intelligence, Captain Prokhorov, fly up to the place of the caravan's liquidation by Mi-8MT helicopter.

NALETOV:

Company - line up!

Straighten up, attention!

Alignment to the middle!

Naletov marching to the chief of intelligence division, reports.

NALETOV:

Comrade Lieutenant Colonel! A reconnaissance company has been lined up on your order!

ZAKHAROV:

At ease!

NALETOV:

At ease!

The officers of the company stand behind the backs of the big bosses, listening to their speech.

ZAKHAROV:

I declare gratitude to the crew of the BRM-1!

I order the commander of the reconnaissance company to present the crew to the government awards. A young fighter who let the caravan get close and opened fire on it

(turns to Naletov)

Where is he?! Take him out of the regiment!

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