Nanchee, you cannot cheat at war. Since everything is allowed and there are no rules, you cannot cheat.
I figured from the map, it’s about 800 meters to the top of the western ridgline. That is within rifle and LMG range and a easy shot for a medimum mortar. Either the Major that ordered that strong point put there had his head up his arse or there was supposed to be fire support pre-arranged to cover the crest of the hill to the West.
I think we got lucky in that only 9 died, if that is the final number.
Of course, they could have just re-occupied an OLD fort built to control the intersection of those two valleys back before gunpowder.
I would bet that someone got lazy. Those hills are pretty steep. 1 to 1 or there abouts. Not an easy climb with enough water food and ammo to make it worth the climb. Or at least the Ami’s thought that, The Taliban thought different. They had better leaders, so they won the scrimmage. That is normally the way it works.

“A pint of sweat, saves a gallon of blood.”*
*
_General George S Patton Jr,

Some US Officer really screwed the pooch on this one.