355th Night of Memory – 1

Compiled by: Leila Rostami
Translated by: M.B. Khoshnevisan

2024-8-20

The 355^th show of Night of Memory titled “Songs and Hymns of the Time of Captivity" was held on 3^rd of Esfand 1402 (February 22, 2024) attended by the freed POWs and combatants of the holy defense in Sooreh Hall of the Art Center of Islamic Revolution. The “Album of Songs of Hope” was also unveiled during the show. In this show, Nasser Qarehbaqi, Amir Hossein Tarvand and Abbas Ebrahimi retold their memoirs. It was hosted by Davood Salehi.

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The first narrator of the show was Nasser Qarehbaqi who narrated his memoirs in this way: we had six large operations in 1361 (1982). They were Fat’h al-Mobin, Beit al-Moqaddas, Ramazan, Moslem ibn-Aqil, Moharram and Preliminary Valfajr. Zain-al Abedin operation was considered a malicious one in Moharram operation. The Soomar area overlooking the town of Mandali was an area with numerous grooves and difficult to pass. Some of the grooves led to a dead end; that is, it did not reach the end of the plain and its beginnings and ends were closed. It took 6 months for intelligence forces to identify the grooves. They had risked their lives behind enemy lines to find them. On the night of 25^th of Aban (November 16), before the start of the operation, 2 battalions of Ammar and Zulfaqar from Mohammad Rasulullah (PBUH) Brigade - which at that time, Martyr Reza Cheraghi was the brigade commander and Martyr Hemmat was the commander of Beheshti Headquarters - were supposed to pass under the trench of Iraqis.

Sometimes, the distance between us and the Iraqi trenches was less than 50 meters. The bottom of the groove was sandy. The rustling sound of the sand made the work very sensitive. The rainwater had created 2-meter-deep pits. A number of guys, who were 10 to 15, moved ahead of these 2 battalions with some plywood boards and placed the boards on the water pits. May God have mercy on martyr Reza Cheraghi, he gave explanations two nights before the operation and said: “Your mission of 2 battalions of Ammar and Zulfaqar is to go under the Iraqi trench. Get behind them so that we disable the Iraqi tanks and artillery. When the operation started, the line breakers should advance toward the front line so that the enemy artillery should not bother the guys. Your mission is very sensitive. The success of the operation depends on you. When you pass under the Iraqi trenches, it is so sensitive that if someone is injured, could not control himself and his voice was raised! His arm should control him and prevent him from doing his work.” Martyr Reza Cheraghi told us this frankly. We heard that during the Fav operation, when they wanted to pass through Arvand, the brother put his injured brother's head under water. Because his moaning was loud. The success of the operation depends on you. When you pass under the Iraqi trenches, it is so sensitive that if someone is injured and cannot control himself and his voice is raised, the person next to him should control and prevent him from doing his work.” Mr. martyr Reza Cheraghi told us this frankly. We heard that during the Fav operation, when they wanted to pass through Arvand, the brother had put his injured brother's head under water. Because he was moaning loudly.

The grooves were intricate. If a sub-groove was opened, we would lose our way and lose time. When we reached Mandali Plain, martyr Eidi, the commander of the Ammar Battalion, and Martyr Lashkari, the commander of the Bahonar Company, were supposed to go to the front line. I was standing next to them and heard their conversation. Martyr Lashkari was one of the first IRGC paratroopers who was martyred in a maneuver in the Persian Gulf. He said: "Where are you, sir?" It's been late, we want to start the operation. Haven’t you reached the tanks and artillery? Why don’t you carry out the operation?!” Martyr Eidi also asked the intelligence guys: "Sir, how long has remained to the tanks and artillery parking lot?!" They said: "At least 3 kilometers." He also said this to martyr Lashkari and martyr Lashkari said: "It’s been late. We have already started." As soon as he said that we started, the operation started from the front line less than 10 minutes later.

Now we are behind the Iraqis. When they started, a lot of flares came on above us. It was clear that Iraqis know that Iranian forces are here. I remember that the comrades of the intelligence department were from Kermanshah. One of them said: "The operation has been disclosed" and we abandoned our mission. Martyr Eidi said: "There is no use anymore and the operation has started." When the operation started, everywhere were on fire. We were also moving forward from the same plain, while shouting Allah-o Akbar [God is greatest]. Martyr Ebrahim Doolabi was the deputy commander of Martyr Beheshti's company. He was about 19 years old. He was going forward and was ranting: "Brothers, go forward. Go forward. We just have one life; we have to give it to its owner." The Iraqis were shooting from all sides and the volume of fire was so high that a ceiling of flare bullets had been created. We were moving half standing and the guys were falling down one after another. But Martyr Doolabi's half body was on top of the ceiling. And he was the first one who was martyred.

Our company commander, Bahmanpour – that I don’t know whether he has been martyred or not! – was a brave commander. All of us had to walk half-standing because of the rain of enemy fire; but he was walking while standing, moving and ranting. Every time he was shot, he said, "Ouch! Oh Abolfazl!" That's it. All of a sudden, I saw that he was shot and one of his arms was almost cut! A few steps ahead, he was shot again and said: "Ouch! Oh Abolfazl!" And one of his legs was lost. He had been injured severely. He was shot many times, but he stood like a lion and continued to command. Two or three days before the operation, he was called and informed of the birth of his son.

The narrator continued: "After an hour of fighting where we were being shot from all sides, we realized that even the line was not broken." Their planes were also dropping cluster flares. The plain was as bright as day. We took shelter behind a small sloping hill. We didn't know from where we were being shot! As I was lying down, in one moment I saw that martyr Tavakoli was shot in the face and he was dying, but he did not make a sound. We were being routed. The sound of the guys’ moans could be heard as they were praying for the comfort and health of Imam Zaman. Then, martyr Eidi came and joined us. We were said that they have given the order to retreat so that everyone can go back in any way.

I had been shot in the leg and injured. The healthy ones carried the rest piggyback and we moved back. May God protect our brother Mr. Zamani who was from Varamin. He carried me piggyback. As we went up and down the hills, the weather was getting lighter. Everyone had gone to one side. I and Alireza Zamani were just there. We reached the first groove. I said, God willing, it is the same groove from which we came out last night. We moved towards our borders. We saw that the groove is a dead end. We realized that we came to the wrong groove. I was bleeding by morning. Later, Alireza said: "I was watching your face turn yellow, I was saying, Oh my God! If he is martyred right here, what should I do with his body!" We saw it was a dead end. We said we have no choice! We cannot return, we will stay here until night falls and use the darkness and return to our front.

We were waiting there as we were very hungry and thirsty. We had a canned fish but no opener. With difficulty, we pierced it a little bit with shrapnel, but it didn't help. Later, when we were captured in the camp, Alireza came and said: "I want to say something, don't be angry!" "What?" I said. He said: "I had a can opener there, but I didn't remember." I said: "Man, I didn't remember, what does it mean?" Is it possible!" One of these can openers was on the back of his plate. We were there for an hour or two when we heard footsteps coming from inside the groove. We said maybe they are Iraqis! I no longer had a gun. It was time to withdraw and suspend. I don't know if Alireza had a gun or not! We saw that it was Qanbar Gorgbandi. As soon as he saw us, he wanted to go back, we said: "Where are you going?" He didn't say anything. He left and suddenly came back with 10-12 others. Davood Shirbani and late Ali Qoochibeik exchanged greetings with us loudly. We said: "We are under the Iraqi trench." They said: "What are we doing?" We said: "Nothing, when it got dark, we will go to our own land through the Iraqi trenches."

We were sitting hungry and looking at each other. Ali Qoochibeik had a glass of honey, he said: "Do you eat?" I said: "Yes, we are hungry." That honey saved us a bit. After two or three hours, we heard the voice of an Iraqi man approaching us. He was calling Jasem! He was also shooting. We saw his voice getting closer and closer. It suddenly became silent. We realized that he had seen our feet from the top of the groove. The groove was 2 meters height. A silence of four or five seconds and then he started shooting and Iranian! Iranian!

They stormed from two sides of the groove. We also started running in the groove and returned to Mandali again. Because the other side was closed. We were running away and they were throwing grenades at us. Until that moment, I was the only one injured in that group. By one leg, I was ahead of some healthy ones. I would take a step and dive. I was getting up. I would take a dive again. I was wearing the uniform of the IRGC. I had removed the IRGC logo last night; but his place was known. The guys were constantly worried. Because they martyred the IRGC forces definitely. When we arrived, we fell into a pit of water. I had dreamed this exact scene two nights before. Nevertheless, there was a trench there, not a water pit. The same scene. The same number of 5 or 6, the Iraqis threw grenades into the trench in dream. While I was shouting grenade! I got up I was about to run away when the grenade exploded and all its shrapnel hit me from the back. I saw in the dream that my body fell, my soul went to the sky. The same scene happened but in water. May God protect our brother, Mr. Brahmi, who pulled out a grenade.

Now we don't know what happened to the guys who were advancing! A field was opened up ahead of the groove and they were waiting there. They shot everyone who came. Martyrs Davood Heidari and Mahdavi were martyred there. Now I don't remember who else were martyred. We were in the water. When Mr. Hojjat threw the grenade, an Iraqi was standing above it. In the same dream scene, I shouted grenade! Now it was difficult to move in the water. I wanted to turn away and put my head behind the rock when the grenade exploded and I felt that my hand was cut off. The shrapnel hit the nerve in my arm. I had no sense in my hand for a month or two. But at that moment I felt that my hand was cut off. Pebbles hit my head and face. I thought I was going to be martyred. I was saying my Shahdatayn [declaration of faith], but why wasn’t I martyred and the dream, which was definitely a true one, was not interpreted. It occurred to me for a moment, O God! Help me not to be martyred here!

To be continued…