War with the Monafeghin

Chaos in the Quiet City

On the night of August 3rd, as it transitioned into the light of August 4th, the atmosphere in Kermanshah became chaotic and alarming. The city, once calm and desolate, had markings in oil paint or burnt oil crossed on the walls of some houses, which would not wash away. The children said that the Mujahideen had marked these symbols at night to indicate that these were the homes of Hezbollah supporters and that they should be destroyed.

The commanders’ meetings in Kermanshah were bustling. Mr. Hashemi concluded the session with the following result:  
"The defensive line at Chaharzab should be fortified as soon as possible, and all our forces and resources must be mobilized. The Mujahideen must not pass through this narrow passage under any circumstances. Gather intelligence and reports on the enemy's depth and the Mujahideen columns between Islamabad and Qasr-e Shirin, and send them to me… Make every effort to ensure that the people do not suffer any harm in these conflicts."

Mr. Hashemi also contacted the commander of the Airborne and Air Force during the same session, ordering that at dawn, as soon as visibility improved, the pilots should fly and strike the Mujahideen's rear.

Hashemi instructed Seyyed Shirazi to take command of the Airborne unit, and he told Shamkhani to somehow arrange for two or three battalions of forces from Ahvaz to travel via the Poldokhtar-Islamabad connecting road to reach Islamabad and cut off the Mujahideen's rear at the gas station junction at the beginning of Islamabad. Then he went to the Kermanshah Airborne base for coordination with Seyyed.

No Exit!

On August 4th, at 3 AM, Mr. Sadegh Mahsooli, the commander of the 6th Corps of the Revolutionary Guards, whose forces were positioned against the Mujahideen, came to me with concern and said that since the Mujahideen were mixed with the people on the road, decisive action was not possible, and the dispatched forces were becoming confused and demoralized. He asked me to change my place of residence. I bitterly replied that they should confront the situation more seriously.

Hashemi remarked, "Some friends opposed my staying in Kermanshah, saying I might become a target for infiltrators here. I insisted I would definitely stay and not leave. Anyone who retreats from this narrow passage would be punished. We had just established military courts; perhaps we would do what we had never done before in war and punish someone, identifying a few. It makes no sense to show weakness in front of a handful of traitors and spies in the battlefield. In other fields, sometimes retreating is bearable, but here it was intolerable. When they saw I was staying there, no one doubted that this narrow passage was our last point and red line."

Hashemi rejected the suggestion to go to a safe place with bitterness. Although he usually did not wear clerical clothing at the front, he donned his clerical attire and wandered through the frightened city of Kermanshah to calm the people and officials.

With the dawn of August 4th, the helicopters and fighter jets of the Airborne struck the Mujahideen’s gathering centers several times, but it had no effect on their destruction. By the evening of the fourth day, the Mujahideen became despondent about passing through Chaharzab, and reinforcements from various fronts began to arrive in Kermanshah. From the southern front, forces from the 27th Mohammad Rasulullah, 41st Tharallah, 33rd Al-Mahdi, and the newly established Brigade of the Supreme Leader arrived. News of the Mujahideen's attack had spread throughout all cities of Iran, and civilian forces and government employees headed to Kermanshah and arrived in the area.

**Operation Mersad**

The Mujahideen had advanced kilometers from the border along the roads, and throughout the route, the newly arrived forces encircled them. The commanders designed Operation Mersad to eliminate the Mujahideen.

On August 5th, the operation was executed, and according to Hashemi, the Mujahideen ended up in a sack, which was closed during Operation Mersad, resulting in their destruction.

To be continued...