365th Night of Memory – 1

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

2025-2-3

The 365^th show of Night of Memory entitled "Waiting" was held in Andisheh Hall of the Art Center of the Islamic Revolution on the 4^th of Bahman 1403 (January 23, 2025). Several combatants of the Martyrdom Battalion of "The 27^th Division of Mohammad Rasoullollah (SAWA)" narrated their memoirs.  The wives and mothers of the martyrs attended the show. Mr. Ahmad Karimi, Mrs. Maryam Rahimi (the wife of martyr Ali Asghar Abdolhossein Zadeh), Dr. Mohammad Bolookat and Saeed Lavasani recounted their memoirs during the show. The mother of martyr Mohammad Javad Haj Abolqassem Sarraf (Javad Sarraf) a commander of the Martyrdom Battalion was also honored in this show. Davood Salehi hosted the show.

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The first narrator of the show was Ahmad Karimi born on the 20^th of Tir 1366 (July 11, 1967). He served on the fronts of the Sacred Defense for 5 years. He was first in the communications section of the Martyrdom Battalion and later a courier of the Martyrdom Battalion.

At the beginning of his speech, the narrator shared a memory from Martyr Haidar Dastgir and said: I want to give two messages from this martyr to my friends. It was the Karbala 5 operation. The cadres of the RPG unit and the Martyrdom Battalion were almost the same; for example, Martyr Safarkhani was from both the RPG unit and the Martyrdom Battalion. So were Majid Sabri, Habib Qanbari, and Martyr Haidar. I think it was the second week that we were going to carry out the operation. When we set off from the back, there was a road known as the "Shahadat" or martyrdom crossroads. There were embankments called "cross-sectional embankments" that faced the Iraqi front, and we had to operate there. Majid Sadri told me: "I have to quickly lead the forces to the line, watch out for Haidar." It was night and direct enemy fire was also regularly seen in the area. Martyr Safarkhani had also given me this order so that Haidar would not be left behind.
Haider had been hit in the head by shrapnel a few years ago and half of his body had been paralyzed; that is, he was still dragging one leg and one arm on the ground, and the only weapon he could carry was a Kalashnikov. He could not do more than that to get something and run. He was also slow in speaking at times. Majid Sabri led the RPG unit. Haider and I walked slowly along the road that was on the Mahi Canal until we reached the Martyrdom crossroads. Haider kept reciting his previous conversations on the way. He had a special message and a beautiful point; he said: "Don't be afraid of anything in this world, don't be afraid of anything! If God wills, nothing will happen to you. These mortars, cannons, and explosions that you see are nothing. Don't crouch, don't get up, don't lower your head. I went to that world and came back. I was in a coma. Now I am here. "Because God did not will it. If God does not will it, nothing will happen to you. If God wills it, surrender. You cannot resist." Until we reached the Shahadat crossroads.
Brother Sabri had deployed the RPG unit behind the line. The Martyrdom crossroads was something strange. There was a fire in that area day and night. Haider and I sat down. We leaned against the embankment facing the Mahi canal and our backs to Iraq. MR. Majid was also preparing the unit for operations and movement. I saw that in a quarter of an hour when we were sitting there, Haider was hugging his knees and his head was facing the sky, looking at the stars and muttering something. Then he lowered his head and sobbed. At the same time, MR. Majid was passing by when I said to MR. Majid: "Haider and I are going on an operation. This is Karbala 5 and those are the intersections. We are going, but our return is with God. If we can't, we will have to retreat or, in short, we will not win, Haider will stay behind. If you can, tell Haider not to come." He told Haider this. Haider became very angry, and upset. Mr. Majid calmed the atmosphere.
After Mr. Majid left, Haidar's eyes fell on me. He said, "Did you do this?!" I said, "You are a master, you were the cadre of the battalion and the company, wait and come in the morning." This man was so upset with me that he refused to talk with me. Mr. Majid said, "Let's move." I was constantly walking towards Haidar, but he was pushing me away and saying, "Go, did you think you brought me? Did you think I came for the sake of you? Did you think you were my protector?" No matter how much I begged, this servant of God rejected me. He wanted to climb the embankment, but he couldn't; his feet were slipping. The dirt was falling from under his feet. I took the opportunity. I ran and helped him climb. The other side of the embankment was a bit soft. I tried to hold his hand. The unit also went and reached the sections. The sections were a piece of embankment. There was a gap of space, then a dike again, and so on.
We reached the end of the unit. We were moving towards the Iraqi front when the fighting started. Mr. Majid had divided the tasks. I was looking from a distance; he was at the head of the column. The other guys were in the middle of the column and... As they were firing flares, I saw someone walking on the embankment! I said to myself, if he is an Iranian and an insider, why is he so close? We are now on the front line! If he is an Iraqi, why is he so calm? As we were moving towards the checkpoints under heavy enemy fire, a bullet hit my face and burned my skin. I held my hand over my face and sat down. I looked back and saw that everyone had been shot. Everyone in front had also fallen. Of that RPG unit of about 200 people, only 15 of us had remained. I had been sitting when Haider appeared. The only one who did not get up, sleep, crouch, or bow his head was Haider. He had an RPG in his hand and would pass in front of the guys and say: "Hey guys, get up. The Imam is waiting; we must announce victory." I was also watching; Haider left... and left... and left... and there was no more news of Haider. That was the place where Haider was martyred. I did not see Haider's martyrdom. I neither knew he had been captured! Nor I know he was safe! Nor I know he had been martyred! This remained in my mind: What happened to Haider?
Regarding the second message of martyr Haidar, the narrator said, "One night, Haidar came to my dream, and this dream is proof for me. In my dream, it was daytime and the Karbala 5 operation was underway. I was at the bottom of the embankment. Haidar was walking left and right on the embankment, shaking his head in regret. With Haidar's gesture, I understood that the martyrs would feel regret. I was constantly saying, "Haidar, come down, you're going to be shot! What are you doing up there?!" He looked back for a moment and shook his head. He called my name and said, "Ahmad! I wish I hadn't been martyred by a single bullet when I was martyred! I wish my body had been torn to pieces. You don't know how much respect and closeness those whose bodies have been torn to pieces have here! What a status they have! I feel regret!

To be continued ...