The 373rd Night of Memories – Part 3
Compiled by: Iranian Oral History Website
Translated by Fazel Shirzad
2026-04-15
The 373rd “Night of Memories” event was held on Thursday evening, October 23, 2025, in the Sooreh Hall of Hozeh Honari [Arts center], featuring wartime recollections shared by former POWs Nabiollah Ahmadlou, Mohammad Hadi, Mahmoud Shabani, Ali Moradi, Mohsen Jannat, Hadi Izzi, and Abbas Pirhadi. The event was hosted by Davood Salehi.
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Continuing the program, the host said: “From this point on, the rest of the story will be narrated by a different storyteller.” He then invited Mr. Mahmoud Shabani to come forward.
The narrator began by offering salutations to the martyrs, war veterans, the wounded, and their families. Referring to the points mentioned by the previous storyteller, he moved on to the events of the third phase of Operation Karbala‑5. He said: “At that time, in the height of winter cold and in the early hours of the morning, we were deployed to the region and stationed near the Yazeynab Bridge. The bodies of the martyrs were clearly visible in the area, many of them recognizable by their blue windbreakers.”
Continuing, he referred to the beginning of the clashes:
“At the very start of our advance, the forces ran into an enemy ambush. I was a grenadier at the time and was in the front line with my G3 rifle and special grenades. The word ‘SAS’ was written on the grenades, and in that intense and chaotic moment, I kept wondering what this name had to do with the bedbug! As soon as the fighting began, the order to fire was issued, but due to the sudden conditions and the overwhelming stress of the scene, I became confused. I didn’t even realize exactly whom the commander was addressing. Although I had prepared the grenade, I was so anxious I forgot to pull the safety pin, and the shot was not carried out correctly. The grenade spun as it was thrown toward the enemy positions, but it did not explode. However, even this action caused the Iraqi soldiers to abandon their position, allowing Iranian forces to advance.”
The narrator emphasized that he had been only sixteen at the time:
“Many of the forces at the front were around this age. After breaking through the enemy line and moving forward, other units were supposed to enter the area for support and to consolidate the line, but this never happened, and our forces became encircled in the region.”
He described the conditions of the encirclement and said:
“The forces had neither the possibility of advancing nor any route for retreat. Attempts were made to break the siege and pull back, but due to the enemy’s fierce resistance, these attempts failed. The Iraqi soldiers were entrenched in fortified positions, buried in the soil up to their necks, either alone or in pairs, and they resisted intensely. During the three days of encirclement, the conditions were extremely difficult. We had no rations and mainly survived on water and dates. Severe exhaustion, lack of supplies, and the martyrdom of many of our forces created a very harsh situation. Yet the resistance continued.”
He then referred to one of the field events that carried a sense of dark humor:
“During the clashes, while positioned beside one of my comrades, he was so exhausted that he rested his head on my lap. Suddenly the enemy opened fire, and a bullet hit him exactly where he lay. In that chaotic moment, as my wounded comrade tried to get up, I (mixing teenage fear with a kind of nervous humor) told him, ‘Don’t get up, don’t get up! Your spot here is comfortable!’ These scenes were part of the realities of those days.”
Continuing, the narrator spoke about the third day of the encirclement:
“Due to the troops’ exhaustion, I was asked to stand guard for a while so others could rest. During this time, in one of the enemy trenches that had been captured by Iranian forces, I was examining the surroundings and flipping through an Iraqi magazine when suddenly a shadow fell over the pages. When I looked up, I was confronted with a strange sight. An Iraqi sergeant stood over me, his hands clasped, and by saying the word ‘Tehran, Tehran,’ indicated that he was surrendering and wanted to be taken to Tehran as a prisoner. Considering the potential danger, we tied him up and kept him under observation.”
The narrator added:
“Later, another prisoner, a tank driver, joined us. After some time, a group of Iraqi soldiers headed towards our position. Initially, we thought they intended to surrender as well, but it turned out they were armed and intended to engage us. In this situation, given the limited number of remaining forces, it was decided to release the two prisoners, perhaps to de-escalate the conflict. This action proved effective, to the point where Iranian and Iraqi forces ended up embracing each other! The intensity of the gunfire decreased, and we were able to move out of the position and head back.”
In the final part, the narrator recounted the events of his own and others’ capture:
“After being taken prisoner, we were moved to the rear. At one point, we were brought back to our previous location and found ourselves in a situation where we might be executed. In those anxious moments, one of my comrades (the late Engineer Khaldi) told me, ‘Recite your Shahada; they are going to execute us.’ Being no more than a teenager, I was so scared that I recited the Shahada two or three times, just in case I made a mistake. At that very moment, one of the Iraqi soldiers whom we had previously released rushed onto the scene. Protesting the Iraqi soldiers’ actions and shouting, ‘La sharaf, la sharaf’ (No honor, no honor), he prevented the execution, emphasizing that we had treated him humanely. Thus, we were saved from being killed.”
At the end of this segment, the host thanked Mr. Shabani, remarking on the impact of these memories and their authenticity. He highlighted that these narratives represent the genuine experiences of combatants who, at a young age, encountered such moments firsthand.
To be continued...
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