SABAH (65)

Memoirs of Sabah Vatankhah

Interviewed and Compiled by Fatemeh Doustkami
Translated by Natalie Haghverdian

2021-6-22

SABAH (65)

Memoirs of Sabah Vatankhah

Interviewed and Compiled by Fatemeh Doustkami

Translated by Natalie Haghverdian

Published by Soore Mehr Publishing Co.

Persian Version 2019

After construction of bridge on Bahman-Shir and our progress on the opposite bank of the river, we were more settled in the area. The other side of the river was also considered as Zolfaghari front. Army forces with the help of Jahad Fars members had constructed a few lines of dykes distancing three four meters from each other to fight with Iraqis. These dykes were located at the end of Zolfaghari palm gardens parallel to Khezre Nabi road. We went to the front with other team members from morning till evening; I was mostly with Elaheh, Ashraf and Belgheys.

Jahad Fars forces were stationed in Abadan and had the responsibility of supporting the front. I had dual feeling by seeing them. One of my feelings was envy. When I saw that all these forces have come to fight and support Abadan front, I felt envy that this did not happen for Khorramshahr. I knew that if these forces were present while Khorramshahr was attacked, and our fighters were equipped with military forces and ammunition, the city would have never fallen. My other feeling was hope. I hoped every day that we will attack Khorramshahr one day with all these forces and ammunition and take it back from Iraqis.

I came to know Colonel Manouchehr Kahtari on the other side of Bahman-Shir River and in Zolfaghari front. He was the commander of 153^rd battalion from 2^nd brigade of 77^th army of Khorasan and was located in Abadan. He was not very old and looked around 45 years old. His hair was black and white mostly towards white. His behavior was very sedate and polite with us. We had never seen anything but respect from all the army forces that we had met in front, but among all of them, Colonel Kahtari was the best.

In the process of was, his clean and shiny military boots attracted everyone’s attention. I liked his proper appearance. I thought to myself that considering his appearance, he must be a disciplined and accurate person. When he met us for the first time, he approached and greeted us warmly. He said that he is honored to see his sisters defending their land. He liked our coverage and told us constantly: “well done sisters for observing Hejab.” He had a special way of talking. His commandership became him.

This front was a defending defense line which had been created by the order of Colonel Kahtari. Fadaieyan Islam forces, army forces and public forces were under his command in this line. The orders of fire and progress were given only by Colonel Kahtari[1].

He had ordered his forces to dig trenches for themselves. The soldiers had taken out small shovels from their backpacks and were busy preparing the trenches.

On the other side of Bahman-Shir, there were no palm gardens and what we could see were fields. We had to prepare trench and shelter for ourselves. I do not know who gave me a shovel. I started digging the ground. I did my best but I could not move the soil much, let alone build a trench or shelter! The ground was firm and dry and the shovel could not dig much. Later I understood that Colonel Kahtari had told his forces to instruct us to make trenches for ourselves.

The other team members were like me. Neither Elaheh and nor Belgheys knew properly how to do it. At that minute two soldiers approached us and took the shovels. One of them told us joking have you come to nature day that you are working with pleasure. We felt so ashamed.

Their trenches were more than one meter deep and our holes were mostly twenty thirty centimeters deep! Palm of my hand was hurting badly. Ghasem Farrokhi and Hassan Sorkhou also joined the two soldiers.  Ghasem Farrokhi joked and said: “you have found yourselves free of charge diggers! What will you give us for helping you dig?” I said: “Nothing, if you are martyred, I promise I will not let your bodies on the ground!”

He said: “No sister Sabbah! Don’t bother yourself for paying us. It is better if we work free of charge!”

Everybody laughed at his words. We were laughing that one of the army fighters who was passing by, frowned at us and said: “have you come to picnic that you are chatting and laughing?!”

We stopped laughing. He was right. What we did was not right. I told Ghasem Farrokhi: “it is your fault!” He said: “What have we done wrong?! We have come to war not mourning ceremony. Who said that laughing is not right?! I said: “it seems that finally we are the one to blame!”

This was the first and last time that we joked. They dug a trench of almost two in one meter; which could allocate three four people. This was our first trench. Little by little we were experiencing the classic and traditional was. When we moved inside we had a good feeling. We felt that we have no difference from army or military fighters. The trench around five six meters ahead of ours belonged to Colonel Kahtari.

It was around noon. We had to say our prayers inside our trench. We had little water with us. I told others to say our prayers with wudu instead of Tayammum. They all agreed. Belgheys poured water and I washed my hands covered in dust and blood. Then I did the same for her. Then we all did ablution. After a while, this was the first time that I did wudu instead of Tayammum in war. Our space was tight and we said our prayers one by one and in sitting position.

We rested in our trench peacefully during night time since we were near Colonel Kahtari’s trench. In the morning we went to one of the brick houses in the area which was ten minutes’ walk away to renew our ablution. On our way back to our trench, we decided to say our prayers in standing position. Our trench was small and yesterday we had said our prayers one by one. A few meters away from our trench was an open area with a dry tree. I told my friends to go there and say our prayers far from the fighters.

Before saying our prayers, the quivers of mortar bombs wounded two soldiers. We ran to their trench to cover the wounds. Their trench was big and we did not feel uncomfortable in there. One of them was hit in thigh and the other in shoulder. We tamponed the wounds and advised to move them to the back of the area in the first opportunity available.

A few moments later, they embarked the wounded to a mud covered Toyota which belonged to army and sent them to the back of the line. We went near the dried tree to say our prayers. We three stood beside each other. Colonel Kahtari was fully observant of his fighters and the line but also had us under his radar. He was a very responsible person.

We were in worshipping position of the first round that the ground trembled under our fee. Iraqi’s artillery had started bombarding. We did not stop our prayers. The voices of continuous explosions covered the whole desert. We three were in the process of Qunut that a mortar bomb hit the ground a few meters away and a red quiver which was the size of the palm of a hand passed our faces and hands and hit the ground. The voice of the quiver stayed in my ear.

We heard the shouting of some of the fighters. Each of them said something to us. They said: “what is this situation. Say your prayers in sitting position. God will accept that too. In this situation … go into your trenches and say your prayers.”

We heard lots of comments until we finished our prayer!

After greeting, we ran into our trench. We talked about the events. Only God knew that if the quiver had hit a few centimeters nearer to us, who was lying wounded now. The view of red quiver did not disappear from my vision for one second. The mortar bombs bullets were hitting the ground around us. Every few minutes one place was shivering followed by smog and fire and dust rising from the ground. Colonel Kahtari shouted constantly to go into the trenches and take shelter. We were lying on the ground for one hour. The Iraqis artillery did not give us a moment. I just figured out how these trenches were useful. We owed them our lives otherwise we would be shot many times under the rain of the quivers!

After that event Colonel Kahtari ordered his forces to make us a bigger trench. The width of the new trench was so wide that two people could sit opposite each other easily. We had moved very far from our base in Zolfaghari houses and commuting to/from there was very hard and time consuming. We did not have a vehicle to commute easily. We had to walk two three hours inside the palm groves.

Staying in the front line made us so tired that we had to return to base every two three days. As long as we were in front line, we could not sleep. Although we agreed to stay awake in turns and keep guard, but apparently none of us could sleep. Presence in the front line had a stress and anxiety that we could not sleep despite being very tired. Therefore we had to return to the base to regain our strength.

Whatever was brought for the front line forces as nutrition was given to us too. Bread, cheese, bean can, tuna can and drinking water were the most served foods. As always, we were very careful in eating and drinking. We ate and drank in a way that we could go to lavatory only once when we went to renew of ablution and prayers to the surrounding houses.

We had been in front line for three four days that warm clothes were brought for army forces. The weather was cold and the raining season had started. Colonel Kahtari got us an army overcoat each. He had noticed that we only have one manteaux and it is cold for us. The overcoat was big and reached our knees. I had to fold the sleeves too.

A few nights later, a lot of forces progressed to fight with Iraqis. Some from our aid group and Fadaieyan Islam member and Colonel Kahtari forces were among them. Almost one hour had passed since the operation had started that we noticed that Alivand and one of the soldiers returned with five Iraqi hostages. The hostages had placed their hands on their head and pleaded constantly: “Khoemini the intruder” one of the hostages was wounded. Alivand brought him to our trench. Then he called Dr. Mostafavi who had come for aid. Elaheh and Keshvar went out of the trench to create space for them.

Two of the hostages were black. Even their lips were black. I had seen many dark skinned people in Khuzestan but these two were different. Their face skins were shining in the dark. Their appearance and face did not match the Iraqis. Their hairs were curly and attached to the skin head. They spoke in a language that we did not understand at all. We just understood the word Sudan. Apparently they were from Sudan.

The Iraqi wounded soldier was in a lot of pain. An open wound was on his chest. It was about two three centimeters open and the blood pumped out of it. His breathing was abnormal and irregular. There were sweat drops on his forehead caused from pain and fear. He was at most thirty years old. He had thick and black mustaches which was the characteristics of all Iraqis.

To be continued …