Medal and Leave - 5

11 notes from an Iraqi captive

Compiled by Hedayatollah Behboudi
Translated by: M.B. Khoshnevisan

2025-8-31

Medal and Leave - 5

11 notes from an Iraqi captive

Compiled by Hedayatollah Behboudi

 Translated by: M.B. Khoshnevisan

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Episode five: Divine aids

Divine aid, in its true sense, means the Great God's support of His sincere servants through unseen forces in the heavens and the earth without human awareness. That is, the same strong and resilient barriers that have protected the Islamic Revolution in the past and present from destructive and devastating currents; and I have been involved in such situations.

Various units, including special armored commandos, artillery, fire units, and more, were mobilized and fully prepared, awaiting the start of the attack. The attack order was to be issued on March 5, 1987, by the operations room at the headquarters of the 604th Infantry Brigade stationed on the slopes of Gardeh Mand. The objective of this operation was to recapture a high-altitude position that Islamic forces had swiftly seized within two days with minimal casualties. The missile launchers and artillery units simultaneously targeted the positions of the Islamic forces, while other units prepared to launch the attack. The mentioned height, due to the scale of the attack and the number of forces involved, was certainly on the verge of collapse. A missile was launched, but its trajectory was diverted toward the operations room, and in the blink of an eye, the room was destroyed. Colonel Shaker Hamoudi, commander of the 604th Brigade, who was supposed to lead the attack, as well as Major..., the artillery commander, and Lieutenant Colonel..., the operations officer, along with several other officers who were the planners of this attack, were all annihilated. Here, the question arises: Why did the missile change its course? Had its trigger puller chosen paradise? In any case, we thanked the missile launcher, as it saved the lives of hundreds of people, delayed the attack, and ultimately led to its cancellation.

In the frozen northern region of "Sedican," fierce storms roar throughout the winter days, and with the accumulation of dozens of meters of snow, roads and passages are closed, and valleys are covered. In such a situation, the forces stationed on both fronts retreat to safer areas, and kilometers of distance separate the two sides. On December 5, 1987, they decided to advance over the snow and capture the positions of the Islamic forces so that by the arrival of summer, our forces could take control of all areas without incurring losses. For this purpose, they set a time. When it grew dark, a severe blizzard began to blow against us and continued until the next night. Incredibly, the height of the snow increased and buried several trenches along with the soldiers residing inside them, including Lieutenant Rahim Jaber, the commander of the fourth company, and the lieutenant colonel of the 604th Infantry Brigade. Their bodies were recovered after two weeks. We thanked the storm because it saved the lives of hundreds from death, and the advance was delayed and then canceled.

The soldiers of Islam liberated two very important hills on the slopes of "Ahmad Rumi" and, by taking control of several passages and preventing any movement day and night, created an unbearable situation. A group of commanders and officers of the 44th Army went to reconnoiter the area, and the 604th, 438th, and 90th infantry brigades, along with the commando brigade of the 5th Corps of the Basij, were mobilized. Armored vehicles and artillery were put on standby. Ammunition was stockpiled, and finally, on February 11, 1988, the preparations for the attack were completed. The artillery was assigned to operate and fired its shells incessantly on those two hills, destroying the fortifications of the soldiers of Islam. After completing this mission, the artillery fell back, but I don't know why the shells changed course toward our own embankment and targeted the heart of its defenders.

In this incident, a number of individuals, including First Lieutenant Abdulzahra Khazam, the support company commander, and several soldiers, were killed. Others who survived retreated; some chose to flee rather than stay, and some weapons and equipment were destroyed. Where, truly, was the one who could reorganize these deserters and defeated troops? We thanked the artillery because it saved hundreds of lives, delayed the attack, and later caused it to be canceled.

                                                                                                                                                  To be continued …