Third Regiment: Memoirs of an Iraqi Prisoner of War Doctor – 10

By Mojtaba al-Hosseini
Translated into Farsi by: Mohammad Hossein Zavar Kabeh
Translated into English by: M.B. Khoshnevisan

2025-12-21

Third Regiment: Memoirs of an Iraqi Prisoner of War Doctor – 10

By Mojtaba al-Hosseini
Translated into Farsi by: Mohammad Hossein Zavar Kabeh
Translated into English by: M.B. Khoshnevisan

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Of course. Here is the translation from Persian to American English, rendered in a formal, analytical tone suitable for a historical or political context.

***

The members of the mobile medical unit were sitting under the shade of tree branches. Despite being very hungry, they were no longer willing to ask for food from them. We consoled ourselves with jokes. At that moment, I noticed my friends staring at something that had fallen on the ground. I went toward that suspicious object. It was a piece of fancy bread that had fallen out of the supply vehicle and was covered in dust. I said to them with a laugh: "A desperate person has no restrictions. Go bring me a piece of damp cloth."

They laughed and brought a piece of cloth. I carefully cleaned the bread with it. Then, one of the drivers opened a can of peas that he had found among his supplies, and we emptied its contents into an empty container. Immediately, eight hungry people pounced on it. Dr. Naeem and I were deeply saddened by this scene and the way those people treated us. After all, we had come with them to help them in difficult situations. Even providing us with water and food was part of their duties, yet this is how they treated us. Our only fault was that we were medical soldiers, not medical officers. We decided not to miss any opportunity to get away from them.

About fifteen minutes later, the radioman of the tank of the brigade commander, who had been wounded in the right hand by shrapnel, arrived by jeep from the main road. After some inquiries, it was revealed that the brigade commander's tank had been hit by an RPG fired by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in southern Ahvaz, inside the forest surrounding the city. Hearing this news, I was startled. Had our forces really entered southern Ahvaz and gained control over it? I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Seizing the opportunity, with the help of Dr. Naeem, I picked up the wounded warrant officer and fled toward Nashweh. There, I reported the matter to the commander. He said, “Stay here and don’t go back.”

The next day, Dr. Naeem, along with his friends, brought two captured Iranian pilots to the headquarters of the Fifth Division in Basra. Dr. Naeem explained the matter of the captives to me as follows:

On September 28, 1980, a Phantom fighter jet crashed, and its two pilots—one a captain and the other a first lieutenant—were captured. The base commander assigned us to guard them. The two were in very high spirits. I offered them water and food, but they declined. I spoke with them a little in English. Surprised, they said, “Does an Iraqi soldier speak English this fluently?” I replied, “I am a doctor.” They asked, “Then why are you fighting against us? The ground you are standing on now is our homeland.” I said to them, "Let me tell you. I am a medical soldier, and I don't believe in this war. I hate the Ba'ath Party and love the Imam. But I have no choice but to participate in this war, and for that, I apologize to you and the Muslim people of Iran." After this conversation, their hearts calmed down, and they began to eat and drink. Then, we were ordered to transfer them to the headquarters of the 5th Division. Along the way, they were not harassed, but our ambulance driver, Warrant Officer Rahim Shaswar—a Kurd living in Sulaymaniyah—stole their shoes and gloves, and out of fear of military intelligence, we did not reprimand him.

Signs of real conflict 

After returning to Nashweh, I became familiar with the military units that had participated in the attack along this area and had advanced toward Ahvaz by passing through the Nashweh, Kooshk, Talai'yah, Jofeir, Hamid Garrison, and the Ahvaz-Khorramshahr Road. The forces on this area had entered 16 kilometers south of Ahvaz and had taken up positions in the forest located south of the city. These units consisted of: the 20th Mechanized Brigade, comprising three motorized infantry battalions; a tank battalion; the 3rd Battalion; the 8th Mechanized Brigade; the Miqdad Tank Battalion from the 6th Armored Brigade; the Al-Hussein Tank Battalion from the same brigade; several support companies from the army engineering unit; air defense and armor defense units supported by two heavy artillery battalions, the 12th and 36th Battalions; and a mechanized brigade as a reserve force.

I learned about the objectives and mission of these forces a year later, in April 1981. At that time, I met with the commander of the 20th Brigade, Colonel Staff "Abdulmon'em Suleiman," at a luncheon prepared by Mobile Medical Unit 11. Referring to the battles of Shush and Dezful, he said, "The mission of our forces is to cut off the Ahvaz-Khorramshahr Road and encircle Ahvaz from the south of the city. This would allow the 9th Armored Division—which was advancing toward northern Ahvaz via Tangeh Chazabeh, Bostan, Soosangerd, and Hamidiyeh—to easily launch an attack from the north of the city and separate Khuzestan Province from other provinces of Iran." It should also be noted that this colonel’s role at the military academy was teaching.

Finally, our forces succeeded in cutting off the Ahvaz-Khorramshahr Road and encircling Ahvaz from the southern flank. However, due to the brave resistance of the residents of the Hamidiyeh and Soosangerd areas and the support they received from the Revolutionary Guard forces, they were unable to reach northern Ahvaz. Since they could not occupy the city of Soosangerd, after suffering heavy casualties and material losses, they were forced to retreat outside the city and take up defensive positions.

During our advance toward Hamid Garrison, our forces in the area engaged in a brief clash with a tank company from Iran's 92nd Armored Division., which subsequently retreated toward Ahvaz. Our troops advanced easily toward the banks of the Karun River and continued their path toward Ahvaz via the strategic Ahvaz-Khorramshahr Road. With the fall of this route, the defending forces of Khorramshahr lost their ability to resist, and the encirclement of the city tightened. Many villages in the outskirts of Khorramshahr fell, and the brigade commander, Colonel Staff "Jawad Asaad Shitnah," gave the residents of these villages the choice to either go to Ahvaz or remain behind the Iraqi units. Many of them headed to Ahvaz. Continuing their advance, our forces entered the forest south of Ahvaz. There, a clash occurred between the Iraqi army and Iranian popular forces. In fact, it was the first clash for our forces, during which the defenders, with rare bravery and heroism, blocked our advance and forced them to retreat and withdraw from the forest. During this engagement, the brigade commander's tank was hit, and his radioman was wounded. I personally evacuated him to the rear on September 27, 1980. This blow was psychologically severe and impactful to such an extent that the remaining Iraqi tanks fled the scene, and brigade commanders were forced to fire their sidearms at the deserters. Finally, they ordered the forces to retreat outside the forest and establish a continuous defensive line stretching from the "Shrine of Seyyed Taher" on the strategic road to the villages of "Kouheh," "Koot Soday," and "Dab Hardan."

In fact, the bravery and perseverance of the popular forces delivered the first blow that shattered our forces' sweet dreams and thrust them into the reality of combat. With this resistance, the fever of victory and the rapid advance of the previous days subsided.

To be continued …