Memory of Mohammad Nabi Rudaki about Quds Operation-3

Adjusted by Fariba Almasi
Translated by Ruhollah Golmoradi

2024-7-15

On the 10th of July 1985, Quds operation-3[1] was carried out by Imam Mahdi (AS) Battalion under the command of our brothers Jafar Alikar, Vali Nouri, Qasim ibn Al-Hassan (AS) Battalion under the command of Mr. Masoud Fotovat in the depth, and Imam Ali (AS) Battalion which was commanded by brothers Mandani Seyedi, Abdul Hossein Valipour, and Enayatullah Bazgir who worked on the heights of 194, 208, 214, 172, 128 and 137 in the front line.

It was decided that after capturing these heights and destroying the enemy's positions, they would bring as much as they could some of the prisoners and the trophies. On the night of the operation, Imam Ali (AS) Battalion, whose fighters were from the forces of Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad (Yasuj and Dehdasht) province sang Lorkeh (the sound of war [by Lur people] used to weaken the enemy's morale and showing their power) on the portable transceiver and said Allahu Akbar. The battalion commander, Mr. Mandani Seyyedi, was saying on the portable transceiver, “We have finished the work and achieved our goal, listen to the sound of Lorke by the troops! Voice of Lorke could still be heard on the army's portable transceivers. The first battalion attacked the enemy powerfully and a large number of the newly arrived Iraqi troops perished. Qasim ibn Al-Hassan Battalion under the command of Mr. Masoud Fotovat also had entered from the right side. Mr. Hossein Qoli and his forces moved from the right side of the 100 height to join Imam Ali (AS) Battalion towards the mission that was given to them, and Imam Mahdi (AS) Battalion went to the lower part in the same way. These three battalions destroyed a large amount of Iraqi headquarters, fortifications, and vehicles, and set fire to the Iraqi gas station in one of the headquarters. They killed a large number and took about seventy captives back. A week before the operation, we explained the forces about carrying out this operation in the air of nearly 50 degrees in Eyn Khvosh region. To fully explain the troops, however, it was very hot, and the sandy nature of part of the area and the groove through which the battalions passed made it more difficult. In terms of weapons and equipment, apart from organizational weapons, we had provided the battalions with 60 mm mortars. Coleman for cool water and 20-liter water tanks were available to the battalions. A cooperation company was assigned to transport the martyrs and evacuate the wounded to Qasim ibn Al-Hassan Battalion. Sometime before the operation, we reduced our traffic on the heights to comply with the protection. Observers and detection and destruction forces also traveled at night. The dispensary cadres set up a strong emergency base. We had placed traffic lights to guide the troops and vehicles above the valleys and roads. This operation had many problems including the fact that the troops had to walk more than ten kilometers through the grooves. The troops went about 12-13 thousand paces to the passages behind the enemy. Because the detections were successful, we thought to break the line in the first half hour and devastate the enemy, which happened. In fact, this operation was an infiltration operation, which we called it limited operation, but for a division to have two other lines of defense and to divide a brigade in three battalions and fight in another area in the heart of the Iraqi army, this is a brave decision and a risk that the commanders should accepted it. After all, it was a mountainous area.

Before the operation, demolition and intelligence forces had gone to the area for detection. One of the nights after Maghrib and Isha prayers, when I reached the area near the observation area, I heard a commotion from inside one of the grooves. When I looked closely, I saw a sign indicating the location of the destruction guys. I went inside and saw the demolition guys reciting Tavasol prayer. After the prayer, I spoke to them for a few minutes. I said as you recited Tavasol prayer and the mood you now have and transmitted it to us too, we will definitely win here, take prisoners from the enemy, and devastate them. God's grace and divine assistance and these appeals to Ahl al-Bayt and Purified Infallibles (Aemeh Athar) will help an army whose one brigade alone wants to carry out operations in the heart of a part of the Iraqi army. There, we attacked the enemy with three battalions and waited for Iraq to launch a large-scale attack and prevent us from settling there; For this reason, the plan proposed by the army to the camp was the same. At this point, a brigade of Iraqis had been replaced that night or the day before, and the newly arrived brigade had no identification from the area. Even the troops and commanders were not ready to fight. The commander of the battalion stationed on the heights 194 was on leave. The battalion’s deputy was there that the guys led him to kick the bucket, and this was the result of the guy's prayers and the invisible help of the great God.

Implementing this operation, Alhamdulillah, a good movement was done in Fars province. A magnificent welcome was given to the warriors in Shiraz. A few days later, the prisoners were taken to Shiraz and the people saw the prisoners of this operation and then they were transferred to Jahrom Camp. In the same days, Shiraz’s Ulama who had different ideas with each other went to see Imam. Hazrat Imam also advised, criticized, and personally entered into the matter so that eventually a relative peace was created. The Operation of the 19^th Fajr Division had a good effect in creating peace among the Basij forces and the division cadres and the forces of the Atashiha Mosque (a mosque in Shiraz that was led by Seyyed Ali Mohammad Dastgheib) and Mr. Haeri's supporters. Pacifying in the center of the province was one of the achievements of this operation. This operation caused a lot of noise in IRGC and the camp and inside the country, because we usually carried out big operations in winter and in summer we were mostly engaged in defense and organization and training the troops; the fact that it was announced that an operation was carried out in the summer and we captured seventy Iraqis had a very good effect.

Source: Refahiat, Alireza, Ahmadi, Hossein (2023). The Oral History of the Holy Defense Narrated by Mohammad Nabi, Commander of the 19th Fajr Division, Tehran, The Holy Defense Research and Document Center, First Edition, p. 326.