With a documentary narration of "commanders"

The oral memoirs about the command of Hajj Ahmad Motevaselian Part I

Jafar Gulshan Roqani
Translated by Fazel Shirzad

2017-2-19

Note: The documentary "commanders", directed by Ali Hamid and Yaser Entezami, is a series of documentary films in which the situation and activities of some of commanders, who were responsible for brigades and divisions during the eight years of Iraqi imposed war against Iran, are introduced and expressed. the series of the documentaries are shown on T.V on documentary channel of Islamic Revolution Broadcasting of Iran, and they are related to the commanders, however, were martyred and are not with us today, but their moods, behaviors, feelings, mentalities, actions and methods of battle and command are remained in the eyes and minds of many familiars, friends, family and comrades.

The documentaries tried to show the situation of one of the prominent commanders, and an objective, real and tangible narration about their lifestyle using remained documentary videos in military, nonmilitary, family, public and the broadcasting of Iran's archives, personal and collective photos of childhood and the time of martyrdom, and also given video and speech of them recorded in the wireless dialog;  therefore, the pictorial meaning of the series of documentaries can be understood well, and you can be aware of how much it might effect on addresses. Namely, the addressees don’t read text to get familiar with persons now, rather he particularly and lively get familiar with them through watching and listening concurrently.  

It is noteworthy that the documentary videos of the commanders provided during the life of them and attending in frontage of war, doubtlessly, is a unique characteristic of such kinds of work versus other written sources, to tell the situation of the people. The videos represent meaning to addressees beyond any writing in which it is not possible to describe all information in detail as the addressees can receive from the videos.  

Till the victory of Iran's Islamic revolution

The first part of the documentary films is allocated to Hajj Ahmad Motevaselian; his situation is narrated in the film for about 30 minutes. The director and his collaborative group used of the memoirs of some persons, beside using photos and videos, to introduce Hajj Ahmad Motevaselian as much as possible. Accordingly, the director steps towards the field of oral history. Some of persons tell their memoirs about Hajj Ahmad Motevaselian such as Mohsen Rezaee who was the former commander of Sepah (the Gurdian od Islamic revolution of Iran), Martyr Hajj Hossein Hamadani, who was the comrade of him, Mohammad Motevaselian, who was Ahmad's older brother, and Jafar johorati Zadeh, who was another comrade of him, were sent from 27^th division of Mohammad prophet (PBHM) to Lebanon. Additionally, the director, using sources, narrates some situations of Hajj Ahmad Motevaselian by the soft and hearty voice of Mohammad Hossein Mahmoudian on the firm for weather to be along with it.

The film is started by a picture of Hajj Ahmad, in which he has a wireless in hand, and, the voice of wireless of him (without making mention to time and place):" Hello, Hajji!, hello! Are you okay? Fighters, as God help them, are moving ahead well. They helped each other and destroyed about two battalions of enemy. Of course, two of fighters, Naser Kazemi and Hossein Hamadani are moving ahead.

Then, the narrator of film, after showing some picture, introduce Hajj Ahmad as follows: " he was 30 years old, he had a bony face, film chin, thick bead and a nose, it was clear, Brocken in boxing and recovered again, he was steadfast and extraordinary rigid. He was a bit hard-nosed, but, timely, very emotional. He was Ahmad Motevaselian born in 1332(1953). He had a diploma in the field of electricity from a technical training high school."

Ahmad Motevaselian, brother of him, was the first one his memoirs are used. He reminisces about his school days as follows: "he was two years and a half younger than me. He was educating in the same school mentioned (Mostafavi school), it was one of the public schools of Islamic teaching where, thereafter, its schoolmaster established Alavi school at Iran street. We were educated there. We, all brother, were educated there.

Showing documentary film about old Tehran, the narrator continued talking about Hajj Ahmad Motevaselian: "in those days, he joined in fighting against Pahlavi regime. He took diploma and sent to Shiraz armored brigade for military service. He didn’t desist from fighting against the regime during military service. He had technical diploma that is why he got in an industrial company in Khorramabad. Of course, to help revolutionist was his main job in the company. The first decade of fifties was the years of fighting of Ahmad secretly in Tehran and Lorestan; until, finally, SAVAK[1] was able to nose out the issue and captured him in Khorramabad in 1357 (1978).

His brother says: "he didn’t made telephone for a while, and we didn't have any news of Ahmad; we went to Khorramabad with my late father to pursuit him. After investigating, we found that he was capture by SAVAK."

The narrator says: "Ahmad had been under torture of SAVAK until he gained freedom from prison towards the time of victory of the revolution through an occurrence.

His brother says: "the edge of revolution was risen, and a lot of prisoners, including Ahmad became free from prison. He gained freedom from prison of Khorramabad named Falak ol-Aflak where it was opened by helping of people; then, he was released from the prison and came back Tehran."

In Kurdistan

The narrator says: Ahmad, after revolution, joined Iran's Islamic revolution committee and became an energetic member to establish Tehran's Sepah. However, when he began to pursue his acting, some counterrevolutionary groups of Kumeleh and democrat started to committee crime in Kurdistan

By the time, after shown the documentary and useful speech and film of hajj Ahmad on camera, the director stated Ahmad's perspective on the matter of Kurdistan and attendance of counterrevolutionary group in there by own words: " as a matter of fact, the issue is not only related to sanandaj as a point, rather it was a battle against Islam Internationally. Besides sanandaj and Marivan, where there were stations of some monarchist, including Razgari[2] groups, Saqqez Baneh and Sardasht also were captured by the revolutionaries. It was Sepah come into Mahabad successfully. After two days, our country, Iran, came in an imposed war which was as the gamma of corruption and servant of imperialism. Subsequently, as the relationship of counterrevolutionary groups of Kurdistan was captured, their detestable face became manifest in a direct war."

The narrator says:" from spring to summer 1360 (1981), it was the time of a change of military balance and attack of Ahmad and his forces on counterrevolutionary groups and Iraq forces. At this point of time, Ahmad and the army of Islamic revolution of Marivan gained some of the most pleasant victories. In those days, the Sepah of Paveh and Marivan included fighters who came Kurdistan voluntarily, from far and near cities, to fight against enemies in a hard and unrelenting conditions. Mohammad Boroujerdi was in command of all the area there. Ebrahim Hemmat was the commander of Sepah in Paveh, and Ahmad Motevaselian was the commander of Sepah in Marivan. Some of the fighters of Hamadan were under command of Mahmoud Shahbazi: they are fighting against the enemies with along other volunteer fighters who were under command of Ahmad."

After showing 8 minutes of the film, the memoirs of Mohsen Rezaee, who was the former commander of Sepah, and martyr Hajj Hossain Hamadani, who was the commander of Hajj Ahmad, were shown at the beginning of the memoirs, Mohsen Rezaee says:" if I consider the attendance of Ahmad Motevaselian in Kurdistan, we will found that Ahmad attended in two-thirds of cities of Kurdistan and involved in operation and Fought against counterrevolutionary groups."

Then, martyr Hajj Hossein Hamadani says: "who were the commander of a group with 50 or 100 people in operation to release Marivan and suburbs from the enemy? For instance, Karim, he, later, became the commander of 27^th division of Mohammad prophet(PBHM), Reza Cheraghi Zadeh, Qojehei, Haji pour, Ghahremani. They were the great commander of the operations including Fath ol-Mobin, Beit ol-Moqaddas, south of Lebanon, Ramadan operation and subsequent ones. Where were they grown in? They were grown in Marivan."

How was 27^th division established?

The second part of Hajj Ahmad's speech on camera (1981), while he is sitting among comrades, is as follows:" as you see, we are looking down, and cities, garrison, and Iraqi garrison are in our vision; we are able to central and examine them where as garrison Delyn namely Khormal is destroyed completely."

In the proceedings of documentary film, it will be told how the 27^th division of Mohammad prophet (PBHM) is established and what the role of Ahmad was.

The narrator says: "at this time, it was decided to establish an independent brigade by using fighters of Ahmad and Hemmat. The story of establishment of 27^th division was taken place after operation Al-Quds in the winter of year 1360."

Hajj Hossein Hamadani says: "it was decided to establish new units, and establish brigades for some province in which there wasn't any brigade, including Tehran. In those days, there wasn’t any military unit in Tehran, beside Battalion of Pasdaran.[3]

Mohsen Rezaee says: "in the garrison of Marivan, where I said to Ahmad Motevaselian that let us establish a brigade, he agreed contentedly. I found a light in his eyes, and he thought it was a great and enormous work which he was responsible for, and had honor to do it. "Should we establish a brigade?" he said. "Yeah, you should establish a brigade. So, he requested me: "allow me and Hemmat go to Hadj, we are interested to visit Kaaba a lot, because it is possible for us be martyred in the operation: therefore, allow us to go Hadj and then came back to establish brigade". We agreed with him: they travel to Mecca." 

   While the special pictures of the pilgrimage is being shown, the narrator add: " Ahmad with Ebrahim Hemmat and Mahmoud Shahbazi traveled to Hadj in Mehr 1360 (September 1981).

Hereafter, the documentary film is related to situation of militants and the role of command of Motevaselian to established and lead 27^th division of Mohammad prophet (PBHM). 

Rezaee says: "when they came back from Mecca, we found another friend named shahbazi who was along with him and was almost similar with the two persons ethically. As a matter of fact, there were three commanders wanted to establish a division exactly in the beginning of operation Fath ol­-Mobin. It means we should increase divisions from 3 to 7 ones. We need a further 4 divisions. One of these divisions was to be established by Ahmad and Hemmat."

The narrator says:" Ahmad agreed to establish a division, but there was a problem: the people of Kurdistan took interest in them. It wasn’t easy to leave Kurdistan, nor was easy to select a number of fighters from ones who were deployed in Kurdistan. All of the fighters interested to go south which their commander, Ahmad. It was very difficult for Ahmad to decide; however, he satisfied himself and others to go the south with almost 120 commandesr and special forces whom he had confined in. the nomination of the brigade was done in those days; " the 27^th division of Mohammad prophet(PBHM)". The detective operation was the next work of Ahmad and his force in the south; the detection of next operation would be done in the month of Esfand (March).  Ahamd, with his team, had fought against in the cold mountain of Kurdistan that is why they couldn’t fight in the warm, hot and miserable condition of Khuzestan. Of course, later, they were gradually accustomed to detecting and fighting in the miserable condition by helping Hassan Bagheri who was the commander of Intelligence and Security Unit of Sepah in the south: ultimately, they were able to fight in every conditions, whether mountain and cold area or the flats of tropical area."

Hamadani says: " the division should be established in a short time, it means that the division was begun to be established in Day 1360 (January 1982). In a short period, Ahmad should seek a place, equipment, facilities as well as providing forces. It was a difficult work to establish a division and military unit and get ready for an operation during 2 or 3 month. Today, it is an impossible work."

To be continued…