Black Tulip

From Turtledove

"Black Tulip" is a short story by Harry Turtledove. It was published in Redshift, edited by Al Sarrantino, Roc, 2001. It is a fantasy story set against the backdrop of the Soviet War in Afghanistan. It uses two POVs, Soviet soldier Sergei and Mujahideen fighter Abdul Satar Ahmedi, as they and their respective comrades prepare to battle over the Soviet-occupied town of Bulola. What neither side knows is that there is a dragon in the mountains outside the town. When fighting erupts, the dragon, long disturbed by the fighting in and around the town, fully awakens, and destroys the Soviet garrison.