Medal and Leave - 4

11 notes from an Iraqi captive

Compiled by Hedayatollah Behboudi

Translated by: M.B. Khoshnevisan

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Episode four: Eagles and rabbits

They entered in columns from all directions. Their faces were sallow and dust-covered, their lips parched, and their eyes dim; they saw nothing but an obscure goal. They seemed apprehensive of an uncertain future, and if you looked at their faces, you would think they were miners, with the roof caved in on them, who had emerged alive from under the rubble and escaped the clutches of death.

They got off the buses and moved towards a vast field surrounded by towering trees and the dark forests of the slopes of the "Sakran," "Ra's al-Abd," and "Godo" mountains in the Haji Omaran region. On the evening of May 19, 1986, all those individuals were mobilized as part of the 70th Basij Commando Brigade and deployed around that field.

As several squadrons of helicopters appeared in the expanse of the sky, the silence and tranquility dominating the area were disrupted. It wasn't long before these helicopters, numbering 25, landed at a specific spot in the middle of the field. Personnel equipped with weapons and ammunition boarded the helicopters, intending to head to the scene of death—the heights of Gerdehmand—and took off. At that moment, a squadron consisting of four fighter jets from the Iranian army took off, aiming for a destination other than here, perhaps to pursue a lucrative target. Two of them headed into the distance, while the other two turned back and did what only eagles do with their prey. One of them circled over the field and released two air-to-ground missiles onto several helicopters carrying soldiers and ammunition, turning the ground into a blazing hell. My eyes could not bear to see a shattered helicopter burning in the fire. Instinctively, I slammed my hands on my head, and tears streamed down my cheeks. I remembered my brother, who was in another area, and felt that a similar fate had befallen him.

A hell similar to what had occurred on earth had taken place in the sky. The following helicopters were caught in the trap of the second aircraft. The truth is, we did not witness that incident with our own eyes, and apart from the moaning of small plains and those bold eagles, we heard no other sound. However, a few hours later, we reached the site of the incident on the mountainside. They were not very far from us. We saw the wreckage of two helicopters along with the shattered bodies. Upon seeing the crash site of these two helicopters, we deduced that they had fallen from a very high altitude.

These events occurred within a few minutes, and six helicopters were completely destroyed so that that imbecile, General Staff Mahmoud Hamadi Amer, could sip his cup of coffee and satisfy his sick instincts. May God curse the oppressors who draw their swords in the name of religion and stand against Muslims.

To be continued …