Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – July 26, 1988

At 1:30 a.m., Mr. Sanjaghi woke me up by phone and said that the Mojahedin had a serious presence on the Islamabad-Bakhtaran road and asked me to change my place of residence. I ordered the forces to take serious action to annihilate them. Last night, I had arranged with Mr. Mohsen Rezaei that this morning we would heliborne forces behind them on the roads to encircle them.

At 3 a.m., [Mr. Sadegh Mahsooli], the commander of the 6th Pasdaran Division whose forces were facing the Mojahedin, came in worried and said that because the Mojahedin were mixed with the people on the road, a decisive confrontation was not possible and the dispatched forces were becoming confused and discouraged. He asked me to change my place of residence. I responded to him harshly and told him to confront them more seriously.

At 4 a.m., the Prime Minister and Behzad Nabavi called from Tehran and expressed concern about accepting miscellaneous supply requests in Bakhtaran, and they received a response.

After the prayer, the local commanders who went to the conflict area last night came and told their observations. A significant number of people with tanks and trucks carrying the forces of the Mufaqeen are present behind Hassanabad Pass on the Islamabad-Bakhtran road, and in front of them, from this side, our forces have blocked their progress and demanded more coordination to close the roads behind them.

Mr. Shamkhani came from Tehran and was stationed in Bakhtran to coordinate the forces. Teloni also complained about the delay in the flight of reconnaissance helicopters and asked for permission to attack. I gave permission and he asked for permission to give Mr. [Ahmed [Vahidi] the command of the administration of military and police affairs in the city of Kermanshah, I accepted. He said that they have asked for reinforcements from Tehran and from Khorram Abad and Arak units.

Mr. Sanjaghi informed from the operation control center that the received information says that about 1,500 hypocrites with about 60 tanks, personnel carriers, and vehicles are present in Hassanabad Pass, Islamabad, and they have placed a force on the road between Karand and Yataq and other places for supply, and other anti-revolutionary groups are cooperating with them, and he said that the first fire team of helicopters have fired on them, and reconnaissance helicopters have also left, and no additional news has been received yet.

I went to the IRGC ground forces, where Mr. Shamkhani leads the operation against the hypocrites. It turned out that the cooperation of Havaniroz is not optimal. From there, I immediately went to Havaniroz air base and made the necessary confirmations. They gathered themselves. We had some discussions with the commander of the base, Colonel Ansari, and the head of the political ideology. One of the pilots who went to shoot them said that the hypocrites have mixed with passengers and people and it is difficult to target them.

We returned to the camp for the interview. I did a radio and television interview with Bakhtran Radio and Television about the situation on the front. Later, they informed that the film was not of good quality and demanded to renew the interview. From Tehran, Ahmad Agha and the Prime Minister are worried about the situation in Islamabad and the possibility of occupying the West, which I consider unnecessary.

Mr. Sanjaghi informed that [Hamza [Hamidiniya], the commander of the 8th Army of Saman Al-Aima (AS) entered the city of Islamabad from the Ilam road and cleared two-thirds of the city, and the hypocrites are practically surrounded on the Bakhtran road. The people of Bakhtar are leaving the city in large numbers, because the hypocrites have announced that they will reach the city soon.

Brigadier Jamali informed that he went to welcome the delegation of the Security Council who came for the preparations for the ceasefire and to negotiate about the deployment of 250 observers of the ceasefire.

The area around the city was bombed twice and they say that cannonballs also hit the city. It must be from the location of the hypocrites.

At half past five in the afternoon, Mr. Sanjaghi informed that the whole of Islamabad has been cleared and the forces of Nabi Akram's (PBUH) brigade are advancing towards Hassan Abad pass from behind the hypocrites and the hypocrites are fleeing in the nearby forests and heights.

[Mr. Ali Nekoui] the governor of Bakhtran came. He is very happy that the danger has been removed. I gave him five million tomans from the credit of the command for the expenses caused by the war. I renewed the radio interview. Mr. Sanjaghi came. He is almost certain of today's victory over the hypocrites, and now the number of attackers and their facilities and vehicles is being exaggerated. They claim that about 1,000 cars and 4,000 people were brought; If true, the blow to them is backbreaking.

The Prime Minister informed that the telecommunications facilities above Swakoh in the east of Karand are in danger. It is near sunset and not much can be done tonight. I told the Air Force to think.

At night, we went to the IRGC ground force center. The summary of today's situation was done; it is good Almost everywhere in Iraq has been hit. At the end of the night, they reported that the hypocrites have entered the city of Islamabad again, and our forces have retreated. We have also started operations in Shalamcheh. We returned to the camp to sleep.