When the attack began nearly three months ago, some guerrilla commanders predicted the city would fall within days.
"By now the guerrilla commander knows that we took hostages."
Which leaves the assault on the capital to the guerrilla commanders and their men.
And later, after the Soviets invaded, he became a guerrilla commander.
It has failed to kill a single senior guerrilla commander in eight years of effort.
But through radio links, the guerrilla commanders started to get their side of the story out.
The guerrilla commander straightened up from the table, and came out into the sunlight.
The guerrilla commander died within 15 minutes of the blast, the doctor said.
It is home for most senior guerrilla commanders and, in the past at least, has provided some of the guerrillas' arms.
Six women held the rank of guerrilla commander in the late 1970s.