Third Regiment: Memoirs of an Iraqi Prisoner of War Doctor – 11
By Mojtaba al-Hosseini
Translated into Farsi by: Mohammad Hossein Zavar Kabeh
Translated into English by: M.B. Khoshnevisan
2025-12-28
Third Regiment: Memoirs of an Iraqi Prisoner of War Doctor – 11
By Mojtaba al-Hosseini
Translated into Farsi by: Mohammad Hossein Zavar Kabeh
Translated into English by: M.B. Khoshnevisan
***
Of course. Here is the translation from Persian to American English, rendered in a formal, analytical tone suitable for a historical or political context.
***
In late September 1980, I was monitoring real-time reports on our forces’ activities in the village of Nashweh. Each passing day saw an increase in our wounded and dead due to ground assaults, airstrikes, and guerrilla operations by popular forces. The first attack by the Iranian army against our forces occurred on September 29, 1980, carried out by a brigade of the 92nd Armored Division. The battle between units of the 20th Brigade and that brigade began and lasted several hours. The engagement ended with Iranian forces retreating, leaving behind 14 destroyed tanks, while 7 tanks belonging to the Meqdad Battalion were also destroyed, resulting in dozens of casualties. Three days later, they brought the charred remains of the tank crews. These remains were placed inside ammunition crates. The scene was so harrowing that I had never seen anything like it, not even in the dissection lab of the medical school.
We entered the month of October. Our forces were constantly on the move and were taking intermittent hits. Gradually, the Islamic Republic began mobilizing its forces against us; artillery attacks intensified, and helicopter sorties commenced. Anti-tank TOW missiles were also deployed on a large scale. Nighttime airstrikes were added to the mix. The escalation of these ground and air assaults had a severely demoralizing effect on our troops and inflicted irreversible losses. In other words, during this period, the Islamic Republic not only managed to halt the advance of Iraqi forces but also compelled them to take refuge in fortified positions to defend themselves.
After two weeks of war, the Saddam regime became convinced that the army could do no more—and that time was not on their side. At that point, our forces were preoccupied with only one thought: how would the flames of war die down, and when would peace and reconciliation be established between the two countries? This thinking stemmed from our experience with the wars in which Arabs had fought against Israel. This very mindset created a kind of slackness and lethargy within the ranks of the invading forces. To compensate for this, the Ba'athist regime embarked on a series of political and propaganda measures, including:
1-Broadcasting the news of Imam Khomeini's passing on the radio as glad tidings for the nation and the Iraqi army. They said: "It has become clear to us that Khomeini... has died."
Hearing this news, I was stunned. I immediately grabbed the radio and went to the garden adjacent to the medical center. I tuned into Radio Tehran. It was refuting the news and broadcasting a new speech by the Imam. I hurried back, overjoyed, to give the good news to the Imam's followers that he was alive. I must say that broadcasting the false news of the Imam's passing was a painful shock for us and a source of growing joy for the ignorant and unaware forces. But after the truth came to light, this fabricated rumor lost its effect, and the Ba'athists became an object of ridicule and mockery.
2-Declaring readiness to establish a ceasefire and engage in negotiations. At that time, the government of martyr Rajaee rejected the proposal and announced that no negotiations would take place until the Iraqi army withdrew from the occupied territories of Iran. While dismissing the Iranian government's demand, Iraq continued to insist on negotiating while its forces remained stationed in parts of Iranian soil.
3-The UN Security Council issued a vague and ambiguous resolution, calling on the warring parties to establish a ceasefire and respect international law, without demanding that Iraq withdraw from the occupied territories or identifying the initiator of the war. No measures were considered for implementing the resolution's provisions. There is no surprise here. The resolution was issued after the powerful nations failed to secure victory for their ally, Saddam.
After this phase, our forces gradually began preparing for a long-term war. To this end, they proceeded to dig trenches and shelters, construct roads, and stockpile ammunition and supplies within Iranian territory. The government issued a notice suspending the discharge of armed forces personnel until further notice. During that time, I had a radio that felt like a companion to me—keeping me informed of world events. I often followed daily news, reports, and political-military analyses of the war through Voice of America, Monte Carlo, and London broadcasts. From these analyses, it could be inferred that the war would last for years. For example, Voice of America, quoting a political analyst from Newsweek, stated: “The war between Iraq and Iran will continue for years because both countries are oil-rich and possess vast resources. Second, there has long been disagreement over borders as well as political and ideological differences between the leaders of the two countries.”
The war went on, and the number of dead and wounded grew each day. In my spare time, I would listen to radio news and reports or go fishing in the canal near the medical center.
One afternoon around three o'clock, while I was fishing, an ambulance suddenly pulled into the medical center. Due to the long journey from the front lines to the center, ambulances usually arrived in the afternoon. I rushed back to the center. They told me they had brought in five wounded. I went to the emergency room and treated them. Shortly after, the ambulance driver came into the room and informed me that there was also an injured Iranian inside the ambulance. He said, "I think he's dead."
I hurried over to the ambulance. I saw a man in civilian clothes, with thick beard, and wheat-colored face, soaked in his own blood. His face showed that he had bid farewell to life. I ordered him to be brought to the emergency room. After a careful examination, I realized he was still breathing. He urgently needed blood. He had been shot in the abdomen. After much effort, I managed to find a vein. I waited for the necessary blood to be prepared. Many people from the medical center had gathered around me, watching the condition of the wounded captive. I said, "This wounded man needs blood."
To be continued …
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