Memoirs of Azizollah Pour Kazem of war in 1982/2nd and final part

The renewed self-confidence for commanders

Ali Takallou
Translated by M. B. Khoshnevisan

2016-6-6

Note: In the first of the interview, Brigadier General Azizollah Pour Hakim reviewed the events of the Iraqi imposed war against Iran since 1983, dealing particularly with Moharam Operation and retold his memoirs of the operation.  The following is the second and final part of this interview.

*How was the situation of the hills around you, when you were deployed in the hill?

*The Brigade 25 of Karbala had been deployed next to us. Concurrently, the Brigade 8 of Najaf Ashraf had succeeded and four more brigades joined it. The joining was not carried out in the first stage of the operation but it was done in the second and third stages. The third stage was carried out just for our advancement. We were deployed on top of the hill. There was a plain on top of the Altitude 290. Martyr Kazemi came and told us, “You must advance in the third stage, there is an altitude ahead. You should seize this altitude so that the enemy could not have access on this side and Dehloran to Dasht-e Abbas and Andimeshk-Ahwaz roads are secured.” At the same time, the Iraqi town of Zobeidat and a number of oil wells were also liberated. Some 70 Iraqi oil wells were seized by Iran. In this area, about 600 square kilometers of Iranian lands were also liberated, and about 300 square kilometers of Iraqi lands were seized. After this success, martyr Hassan Baqeri (God bless his soul) came up from this area, watching it and Al Amarah to Basra road for designing the next operation called “Preliminary Valfajr”.  Brigadier General was both the commander of the 7^th Corps of Hadid and the  Division 8 of Najaf. He had given us full authority. He was very busy since he was both the commander of the 7^th Corps and the division commander. So, we reported to him the outlines. After a while, when they saw that everything was all right, the lower teams went and reported.  A good confidence had been created around the issue. Thus when the third stage of the operation ended, we were supposed to develop the corps in terms of combat. The deployed units including ours were supposed to come back and fresh forces replaced us. A battalion of Khomeini Shahr forces led by Mahmoud Amoo Shahi accepted the air defense system. But the enemy had a very heavy counterattack on 12^th of November 1982 in order to take the area back. But two divisions stood against them and pushed them back again. After this attack, the enemy concluded that it was not possible to take the area back, and the Moharam Operation came to an end on 14^th of November 1982. Consequently the commanders prepared for Preliminary Valfajr Operation which was carried out in February 1983.

*Do you have any interesting memory of the operation?

*During the operations, a number of clergies from seminaries came to the war fronts as cultural advisors. There was a clergy two of whose sons had been martyred. He was from Najaf Abad in Isfahan Province. He was very energetic and tried to make everyone laugh for the first ten minutes and then he started mourning really. We had also two teens named Nadali Kameli and Mehdi Amir Yousefi. They had small sizes but were responsible for firing machine guns. They wrapped hundreds of bullets around their back and wherever we advanced and it was needed they started firing their machine guns while at the same time other forces fired RPG -7 launchers. The two teens played a major role in the battalion. Later both of them were martyred and we commemorate them here. I have another memory from the third stage of the operation. It was a cold night. There was also rainfall. It was very cold at that night and when we reached up the hill, the guys were shivering from cold. Everyone had just one black blanket. We and the battalion commander concluded that we should dig a hole with our bayonets and go inside it and pull their blankets over their heads. We had a disabled war veteran named Yadollah Imam Doust who was in charge of the logistics battalion. We had asked the company commander to help us since the forces had been deployed in a route with the length of 150 meters. We were responsible for defending this route. We had to overlook the two sides of the route and deploy forces. We helped dig holes to those who were cold. We tried a lot and because of this, we did not feel the cold weather. At one point, since we felt tired, sat down to take a rest. I saw that somebody was touching my shoulder. I looked back and saw that it was Yadollah Imam Doust. He had boiled water with compote can and RPG detonators and had made tea. In that situation, he said, “Sir, drink this tea to get warm, it helps you continue the job.” (Laughing). This was my other sweet memory that i had in the operation.

*Explain a little about the war captives, the captives who were taken there and the Iraqis’ element of surprise and the moment when they saw you.

*According to Iraqi sources and the memoirs retold by the Iraqi captives and the book “Destruction of Eastern Gate” (including the memoirs of Vafigh Sameraee, a person in charge of intelligence), they knew which area most of the operations were going to be carried out, but they did not know when we wanted to attack. They also did not know the units for some operations. Unfortunately, some operations were disclosed by the fifth column. Given the operation had been controlled from the beginning, the present forces in the area were not allowed to leave until after the operation. I mean the forces had been completely deployed and no information had been disclosed; thank God, it rained and the chemical barrels and the mines planted by the Iraqis had no proficiency anymore. It was a mountainous area and all the mines were seen. At present, the guys are taken to Altitude 290 for commemoration, of course those who are justified. One of my friends named Mehdi Rahimi who was the deputy head of the Engineering Unit at that time says, “When I take the guys there, I tell them, “Now we want to climb the hill without backpacks, without guns, without blankets. There is also no rainfall. They say, “Sir, it is not possible to climb this altitude, it has a very steep slope.” I mean God was present in the fronts. Also the faith force of the guys was very high, or else the Iraqi’s were armed to the teeth and had different kinds of weapons and ammunitions and we had the least facilities. About the element of surprise, the Iraqis did not believe at all. Even some of them were drying their blankets, thinking they were their own forces who were passing by. But our policy was that we were not involved first. We circled them completely and then surrounded them. At any rate, the ability and the faith of the guys and the courageous decision of the commanders caused such operation to be successful. It had a wide reflection in the world especially at a time when Israel Radio, Voice of America and BBC said that Iran could not carry out such operations anymore. But when we took as captives over two thousand Iraqis, Iran’s power was shown again and on other hand, self-confidence was again created among our commanders; because our commanders faced with failure during Ramazan Operation carried out in three phases. But this operation created renewed self-confidence among the commanders who later designed Preliminary Valfajr Operation the aim of which was to seize the Iraqi town of Alamarah. However, this operation failed due to the betrayal of the then Navy Commander Captain Afzali. But it was a good operation about which we should talk more.

*Explain about your book “The Battle of Moharam” which is under publication. What new words does it have for saying?

*After Abadan and Khorramshahr, there are two towns in the country whose number of martyrs are higher than 2000, one is Najafabad with 2500 martyrs and the other Khomeini Shahr with 2300 martyrs. The congresses are held especially for the capital of the provinces, but according to a note, the towns with higher than 2000 martyrs can hold congresses. Najafabad held a nationwide congress in 2014. Another congress is going to be held in Khomeini Shahr this year. About the beginning of the war which our forces were dispatched to Abadan and Khorramshahr, a book has been compiled titled “Zolfaqarieh” because were deployed in Zolfaqarieh front. The book has been published in two volumes which covers both the events of Zolfaqarieh front and the front of Abadan’s Station Seven. The next operation was Tariq-al Qods but our guys did not take part in it directly. Then we went for Fat’holmobin Operation and were deployed in Ankoosh, Sholeibieh, the town of Shoush as well as Saleh Moshatat. God helped me to write a book named “The Battle of Shoush”. Then our friends were supposed to compile a book Ramazan and Beitolmoqadas operations but this has not been done yet. In view of my presence in Moharam and Preliminary Valfajr operations, were of the view that I compile a book for Moharam Operation. I conducted interviews with some 70 combatants who took part in the operation. The book covers the interviews of over 50 of them. I have tried in this book to highlight the role of the town of Khomeini Shahr as well as the role of the Brigade 8 of Najaf Ashraf. I have named the brigades and units which were present in this operation. The book took some three years to be compiled, because we had to find each of the in different places. The book has a foreword in which we passed a cycle about which I explained. It has also an introduction and six chapters.

The first chapter is titled “Khomeini Shahr in Najaf Ashraf”. In this chapter, I have explained about the record of the establishment of Najaf Ahsraf Brigade and when the Khomeini Shahr forces entered this brigade. After Samen al-Aemmeh Operation, the then IRGC commander Mohsen Rezaee ordered the establishment of the Brigade 17 of Qom, the Brigade 14 of Imam Hossain (AS) and the Brigade 25 of Karbala. The Tariq al-Qods Operation was carried out by these brigades. After Tariq al-Qods Operation, Mohsen Rezaee ordered the establishment of the Brigade 8 of Najaf Ashraf and appointed Ahmad Kazemi as the commander. Mehdi Bakeri was his deputy. Haj Ahmad Motevaselian was the commander of the Brigade 27 of Mohammad Rasoolollah (SAWA) and Mahmoud Shahbazi as his deputy and Ebrahim Hemmat as his Chief of Staff. After Moharam Operation, the IRGC set up three divisions for the first time. Martyrs Kharrazi and Raddani Pour were among the commanders of the divisions. It is better to know that martyrs Kharrazi and Raddani Pour acted in a way that nobody knew who was the commander and who the deputy. They were very humble. Ahamd Kazemi was the commander of the Seventh Corps and Morteza Qorbani as his deputy. Haj Ebrahim Hemmat was the commander of the Eleventh Corps of Qadr. These three divisions were set up and later the brigades were formed. I have explained about the history of the establishment of Najaf Brigade.

The second chapter is entitled “Moharam in Dehloran”; because some of the towns were oppressed in the operations and the war. The towns of Dehloran and Shoush were among them. For instance, the city of Dezful was talked about a lot because of the missiles hit the city or the towns of Qasr-e Shirin and Mehran which were occupied by the enemy. But it was talked about Dehloran little. We reviewed the town in terms of natural and human geography and the situation of the borders.

In the third chapter titled “Moharam in Moharam”, we reviewed the military power of both Iran and Iraq. Iraq had deployed its fourth corps in this area which included armored divisions and 17 independent brigades. The enemy had deployed totally 23 brigades. The IRGC units were limited. It had deployed seven brigades plus a company from gendarmerie and the army’s air force.

The fourth chapter is about the Moharam Operation in which we explained about three phases of the operation. In the fifth chapter, we have mentioned a series of small memoirs from the combatants. And the sixth chapter has evaluated the operation. After the Ramazan Operation, the world news agencies said that Iran did not have the power to carry out any more operation. But after Moharam operation, they took their word back because we both liberated 600 square kilometers of Iranian lands and seized 300 square kilometers of the enemy’s lands. After this operation, we could carry out more operations such as Kheibar, Badr and Valfajr 8 and seized Al-Faw Peninsula. But this was not the first place. At the end of the book, documents, sources and images have been annexed.

*How many books have you written before “The Battle of Moharam”?

*I wrote the book “The Battle of Shoush” and two other ones. One is entitled “Under this Alam” which is about Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Ebrahimi who was among the first ones martyred in Abadan. Mrs. Zahra Shams has compiled the book and its edition and readout have been done by us. The other one which has been compiled with her cooperation is called “From B … to Pomegranate”. It is about the destiny of the wives of the martyrs as well as a reference to the women of the Prophet’s time who had participated in the wars and how they fought. There is another book under the name “Watcher” which is about martyr Mohsen Rezaee and the book “Bonyan al-Marsous” about the disable war veteran martyr Mohammad Ali Kashi who was my brother-in-law. We have also a book under compilation which is about Preliminary Valfajr Operation that if God helps us we can prepare it for the Sacred Defense Week.

*Do these books include your own memoirs or you have compiled the memoirs collection of others?

*I have written my own memoirs of the operations. For instance, we have written our memories in the book about Moharam Operation because we were present in scene; or in the book about Preliminary Valfajr Operation which is under compilation, we have written our own memoirs.

* Have you just used memoirs in these books or you have used other sources?

*Since I have explained about the operation, the role of the town and the unit has also been explained; because the war front was an ocean. We just saw the gate we were passing by but there were other areas. As the Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei has said, if we write 80 years for these eight years, it is just a drop of an ocean. And it is really correct.

*So the book includes both a research part and a part of memoirs?

*Yes.

*Did you get any help or consultation from other writers or individuals?

Yes, my son-in-law Mr. Baqeri who has a Ph.D. in Political Science, as well as Mr. Kamari in the Art Bureau. We invited Mr. Kamari to Khomeini Shahr in 2009. He held a training course for 50 men and women who had bachelor degrees and were interested in writing and collection of memoirs. We also contacted with Isfahan University and its history group misters Dr. Nouraee, Montazer Qaem, and Abolhassani. I gave “The Battle of Moharam” to Dr. Nouraee to let me know his viewpoint. We tried to consult with all of those who have information and expert in this regard. I even gave the book to Brigadier General Mohammad Ali Moshtaqian who was in charge the intelligence operation unit of Najaf Ashraf Division. He read the book tow times. Since he was in the intelligence, he transferred his viewpoints and we carried out corrections. We also have a disabled war veteran named Qadir Ali Qasri. He was in the Brigade 44 of Qamar Bani Hashem and has enough information in this regard. We gave this book to him to read and he gave his opinion. I cannot say this book has no mistake but we have tried to present it according to documentations. As the Leader of the Islamic Revolution has recommended us we should be careful that the distortions are not involved in the sacred defense unlike the event of Ashoura. We have tried to mention everything according to documents.

Thanks a lot for your participation in this interview.