The Embankment Wounded Shoulders – 7

Diary of a Rescuer

Sabah Piri
Translated to English by M.B. Khoshnevisan

2025-5-18

The Embankment Wounded Shoulders – 7
Diary of a rescuer

Sabah Piri
Translated to English by M.B. Khoshnevisan
Persian Version (1990)
Sooreh Mehr Publications

***

It was in the month of Bahman when the chemical warfare classes were established. The enemy was expanding the scale of their crimes. We went to learn the complexities of chemical warfare. One day, "Haj Mojtaba," who was in charge of the chemical warfare training, mentioned that he needed a significant number of rescuers. He asked me if I could go to Tehran to gather the guys and bring them. When I arrived in Tehran, I was only able to bring two people with me - Ajorloo and Qanbari.

After a while, I was transferred to Hamzeh Battalion where "Amir Hussein Qanbari" was still serving. From there, I moved on to Malek Ashtar Battalion. Eventually, it was decided that the army and IRGC forces would be sent together during the operation. Three of our battalions, including Hamzeh, Malek Ashtar, and Ansar Rasool, were merged with the army. Ghiyassi was pacing back and forth, and every time he passed by me, I could see tears streaming down his face. He didn't try to hide his emotions, as he truly believed I had been shot. This reminded him of the Valfajr operation.

A few days later, we received orders to move south; it appeared that an operation was imminent. We headed to the crossroads of Juffeir and settled there, staying for two or three days. While there, I saw my older brother Adel, who was busy constructing an operational bridge. During these few days, enemy planes came over regularly, and we also had chemical deterrent equipment with us to identify them.

On the third night, news arrived that an operation was planned for that night. The special Shahadat Company had already advanced to the front line, bypassing any potential ambushes. The Hamzeh Battalion followed them. The day after the operation, our battalion commander had come to justify the guys. He explained that Majnoon Island had two parts, north and south, and that the troops had infiltrated from the north, installing sheds there.

There were two roads leading from the area known as Juffair. One was an asphalt road that headed towards the Iraqis, while the other extended northwards on the island, where the army's supplies were transported. On the western side of the island, there were seven "paths" that were nearly concealed among the reeds. Each army had claimed one "path". Our army held Path One, which was larger than the other paths and featured multiple trenches. The Shahadat Company was the initial force to dismantle the ambushes and breach the enemy's primary line of defense.

Then, the Hamzeh Battalion arrived with motorboats and landed troops. Hamzeh, along with the Shahadat Company, broke through the second line and advanced. They launched an attack on the enemy forces from the left and, after advancing half a kilometer, established a defensive position. The Komail and Ansar battalions later joined the line breakers. The Komail battalion, equipped with plenty of RPGs, positioned themselves in the plain to defend against any approaching tanks.

Above the operational area, there was a village, and to the left was another village, both situated on the same route. Beyond them lay the Tigris River and the Al-Amara highway leading to Basra. The villages and the surrounding area had been assigned to the Abuzar and Maysam battalions.

It was midnight when they loaded the guys onto the truck. News had arrived that the Shahadat and Hamzeh companies had moved towards the Tigris, with some guys even performing ablution in the river. They were now in need of support. One of the companies from the Hamzeh Battalion was surrounded, resulting in all of them being either martyred, wounded, or captured. Among the missing was Amir Hossein Qanbari. The next morning, the Hamzeh Battalion retreated to the second line and received a message instructing them not to advance from the plain, but to advance as far as they wanted from the left.

We reached the line in motorboats on a cold, dark night. It was night and the area was an unknown ghost. We passed the ambushes and reached the first fort, which was six meters wide. We passed that too. We reached the second line on a straight road. Ahead, the battle continued. Fire was coming from the enemy tanks and the sound of explosives exploding inside the tanks covered the area. As we went further, the guys started digging trenches. Since I didn't have a shovel, I filled a few sacks with dirt and built a trench on top of the fort. Opposite, there was a mound of dirt where we had taken shelter just below the ridge. We spent the night there and performed the dawn prayer with my team when the order came to move forward.

Ahead, situated between the tank hangar and the second line of battle, was an Iraqi headquarters encircled by barbed wire and mines. This was the headquarters of the enemy commanders, which had been demolished and overrun by our troops.

We had not yet managed to penetrate the village, so we remained stationed there until nightfall. One of the combatants jokingly remarked, "Get ready for tomorrow, a 'guest' is expected to arrive."

I inquired, "Who is this guest'?"

He chuckled and replied, "Iraqi tanks!"

I was hungry, so I went to some cleared enemy trenches, but I didn't find anything.

About a hundred meters ahead, there was an embankment with a cut in it. This cut served as the connection point between the second fort and the tank hangar.

They had constructed a watchtower at a 90-degree angle in the corner of the fort. In the morning, enemy tanks started advancing across the plain. From afar, they resembled iron rats. The Komail Battalion had to spring into action. A challenging and uneven battle ensued. Helicopters also joined the fight. I had never been in a direct battle before. I found myself aimlessly pointing my rifle at a helicopter, thinking it was within range for me to shoot it down.

The guys were advancing with RPGs, hitting the tanks, some were turning back, and some were being martyred on the spot by tank bullets. The enemy fire was getting more intense every moment. The observation tower was hit by a direct shot and was destroyed. The tanks had come within 50 meters. It was in this crowded situation that "Madani", the commander of the group we had met in B - the Hijrat Company, was wounded. Blood was pouring out of his hand with pressure. I used a stick and a cap to stop the blood from the artery in his forearm. He was in a lot of pain.

Everyone was fighting, and if I had left him there with the same wound, he would have perished. I had to move him back. We were retracing the path I had taken the night before, now tired and carrying the wounded in daylight. I reached the boats and we took Madani to the aid post in a boat hidden among the reeds. Another wounded man was unconscious inside the boat, so I had to give him artificial respiration. After taking Madani to the aid post, I returned in the same boat. As I crossed the first line, I saw troops turning back. When I asked why, they simply replied, "Nothing." However, as I moved forward, I noticed wounded individuals lying in every corner. It was then that I heard about the martyrdom of "Gholi Akbari." I began working with one of the aid guys, Masoud Hosseini, who was tending to the wounds. We bandaged around 40 people and brought them back one by one before heading out again. Watching the wounded and the intensity of the war prevented fatigue from setting in.

I saw the troops turning back and asked, "Why are you turning back?" They replied, "Nothing." However, as I moved forward, I noticed wounded soldiers lying in every corner.