An interview with Moussa Sedghi about his memoirs

The Secret words made by letters "P-ZH-G-CH"

Sara Rashadi Zadeh
Translated by Fazel Shirzad

2016-7-24

Passed 36 years of the Iraqi imposed war against Iran, the memory of burning heat weather in south frontage operations and chilly weather of mountains in west frontage remains still in the minds of warriors, who tried to return to frontage of war to defend their homeland and purposes even they were injured. Moussa Sedghi is one of warriors who was a teenager in those days, and he always returned to west and south frontages of war to defend his ancestral territory along with other warriors even when he was injured. Sedghi talks about the memoirs of hot summer days in frontage of war and days of Operation Valfajar 8 in an interview with Oral History.  

Mr. Sedghi! Please introduce yourself and tell us how did you go to frontage of war for first time?

I'm Moussa Sedghi, I was born in 1347 (1968) and I was about 13 years old when my attention was drawn to the Iraqi-Iranian war and conflicts, like all peers in those days. In that time, interests to participate in the war was so much among teenagers and it is why an interview and selection was determined to send them to the west and south frontage of war, and if they were able to answer questions, they would be allowed to go frontage of war.

By the time, it was announced in mosques that persons who were under 16 years old couldn’t  get military training, and a officers was even placed in front of the mosque to prevent the entry of youngers. Because we were under 16, so we should go in the mosque an hour before and hide in the mosque's Toilets because officers would not be able to prevent us to entry into the mosque at the beginning of military training. Many of the friends were trying to forge a birth certificate or signature of their parents to get military training and sent to the frontage of war.

What was the name of first operation which you attended in?

The first operation, in which I attended, was named Operation Badr. I attended there from Division 27 of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) as ground troops. Unfortunately, this operation is still unknown among the people; however, the operation was actually as Shalamcheh, and Iranian militant forces showed a lot of courage and loyalty in the eastern side of the Tigris River that is located after Hor al- Hoveyzeh. On the other side of Tigris River and right near Basra, there is a strategic road called "Al-Emara" that was once tried to conquer it during Operation Khyber which unfortunately it was not ended in any result. That's why we went to the road again during Operation Badr, but we still could not capture it.

Who was your commander in Operation Badr?

General Mohsen Akbari was commander of our battalion in Operation Badr.

After operation Badr, what operations did you cooperate in?

Typically, each year an operation was performed and forces could cooperate in operations if they were healthy and unhurt, in many cases, the forces were injured by shrapnel in different parts of body such as hands, feet, eyes and abdomen, and their recovery process took about 6 months or more, so they couldn’t attend in next operation. Therefore, almost no militant can claim that was in all operation.  In addition, a battalion with all its combat capabilities could last for about a week maximally, and it was usually tried to expel the battalion quickly from the area to reduce military, equipment and body damages. After participated in Operation Badr, I attended in Karbala Operation 1 and I was injured in the Operation on Tir 14^th or 15^th in 1365, and transferred to the hospital. After being cured that lasted about 6 months, I attended in operations such as Operation  Karbala 5, Beit-ol-Moqaddas (Jerusalem) 2, Valfajar 8, Mersad and antiaircraft defensive operations.

Tell us about the period of your hospitalization in hospital!

My stomach was injured by shrapnel and intestines were completely out of my stomach, so I was hospitalized for about six months. Of course, I should mention that at first I was transferred to Esfahan and then Tehran and hospital of National Bank. I was hospitalized with an Iraqis captured soldier who was constantly asking for water. Although Iraqis captured solder was an enemy force, and I was not in good physical condition, but I worried about him.

While I was cured, my stomach was bandaged still and I heard that operation Karbala 5 was started. Anyway I went to the frontage of war. When I arrived there and before I joined to one of fighting forces, I was returned to the hospital of National Bank for weakness. After partial therapy, I returned to Shalamcheh for antiaircraft defensive operations.

A few months later, my hand, leg and chest were injured in Operation Beit-ol-Moqaddas 2. After I was injured in Operation Beit-ol-Moqaddas 2, we were sent to Tabriz, and then sent to Tehran by plane to send the injured friends to different hospital according to pre-determined quota. When we got to Tehran, I said to Master of Division for Injured People: "send me to the hospital of National Bank!"

When we got hospital of National Bank, the nurses of the room of hospital, where I have previously hospitalized there, came to deliver me from emergency room. I covered my face with my hands to keep from nurses’ words, But when nurses found that I was sent again as an injured to the hospital, said me:" "Sedghi! You return again!" And I said: "I miss you, so I came back". Once again I was hospitalized for four months, and then I went into Operation Mersad.

How did you pass the month of Ramadan (a month of fasting) in the frontages of war?

All of militants were religious and versed on law. We are followers of Imam Khomeini; therefore, we could not fast. However, some of the soldiers said that they fast, but perhaps it was for a recommended precaution or a vow (make a solemn promise), because we were not sure to stay at one place for ten days. In addition, commanders did not allow to fast, because fighting force needed food and energy to fight in hot weather. For this reason and especially before beginning any military operations, the forces should be regularly powerful.

As a final question, which of the memoirs of that time is remained in your mind more than other ones?

 In Operation Valfajar 8, I attended in Ansar al-Rasul battalion of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) division 27, and General Jafar Mohtasham was our commander. His successors also were martyr Mohammad Pourahmad and martyr Mansour Amini that both of them were martyred in Operation Karbala 5. In the operation, we arrived in road Fav- Umm Qasr and was to go forward to be able to capture Basra for next operation. There were many buildings, including missile base and Iraqi naval base on this road. After arriving to the road, some of enemy forces had been hidden around the road and could not go back; Of course, we knew that the road has been cleared of mine and Iraqi forces were around the road. We made some secret words and used of letters "P-ZH-G-CH" that are not in in the Arabic alphabet to keep from penetration of enemy forces and coming with us to Fav. And we usually used to say "What color is keffiyeh?", "Scissors, knife" or suddenly we announced that "throw helmets!" and thus we could find who the Iraqi forces are.   

When the operation came in a certain step, martyr Reza Dastvareh, as a successor of the army, declared: "So here is enough and we won't go forward more." Accordingly, it was decided to bring back the injured people and then martyrs; Meanwhile I thought by myself that I couldn't bring back injured friends with a gun, so it was better I put down the gun and went to the aid of the wounded friends. At the same time, martyr Gholamreza Parva told me: "sedghi, where are you going? Don't you know that here are full of enemy forces? Where is your gun?" And gave me a grenade to be equipped to help injured friends.

I put a grenade in my pocket unwillingly and went to help injured people, when I arrived there, I saw three forces are carrying the injured people on stretchers. They told me that all of injured people were brought and martyrs were remained there, since carrying the injured people was priority and they were tired, so I also took a corner of the stretcher and when we were coming back, I felt that a tracer bullets passed along the tip of my nose; Meanwhile I was thinking that "We returned a little back, where is the bullet fired from?" another bullet passed along the tip of my nose again. Immediately we sat down and looked around, suddenly we saw the fire of enemy's gun, I said one of the friends who has a RPG:" one of enemy's forces is in trench, shoot him! "Unfortunately, he was wrong and failed to take the enemy shot. That's why I crawled to back of trench and took grenade out my pocket and threw it into the Iraqis trench. After a few minute, we found there is any sound or movement, so we quickly took the injured and came back.