The Group of the Martyr Andarzgu

Shortly after the war had started, the army command for the western region held a meeting. It was decided that the volunteer forces and the army forces be spread out in different areas. Thus, a group of forces went from Sarpol Dhahab to Sumar, a group went to Mehran and Saleh Abad, and a group went to Bostan. According to the decisions which were made in the meeting Husayn Allahkaram was chosen as the Commander of Gilan Gharb and Naft Shahr. He went to the Gilan Gharb region with a few companies from the eighth and ninth battalions of the army. Ibrahim, who had an old friendship with Haj Husayn from the time of the Zoorkhaneh, went to Gilan Gharb with him and was appointed as the Deputy Assistant of Operations. Gilan Gharb is a city between different mountains. It is located fifty kilometers away from Naft Shahr and the border line; and, it is seventy kilometers to the south of Sarpol Dhahab. Iraq had captured the areas close to this city and most of the surrounding altitudes. In the first days of the war the Iraqi Fourth Army entered Gilan Gharb; but, due to the resistance of the brave men and women of this city they were forced to escape. During that attack one of the women of this city killed two of the Iraqi forces with blows from a sickle!! After that, some of the people of the city left. The rest of the people came to the city in the days and went to the tents along the Islam Abad Road at nights. The Dholfaqar Army Brigade was deployed in the Ban Siran area close to Gilan Gharb. A short time had passed since the activities of the Gilan Gharb army had begun. During this period, they were only defending against possible enemy attacks, and no special movement was seen from the forces. A meeting was held. The forces suggested that a guerrilla group be set up in Gilan Gharb, like the irregular wars of doctor Chamran in the south and the guerrilla wars of Asghar Vesali in Sarpol Dhahab. The task of setting up a group was carried out. Then the responsibility of the group was assigned to Ibrahim and Javad Afrasiabi. The men suggested that the name of Doctor Beheshti be used as the name of the group. But Ayatollah Beheshti refused during the visit that he had to the region. He said, “Since you do guerrilla work, put the name of the Martyr Andarzgu on the group, because he was the founder of the guerrilla and Islamic movements.” Ibrahim put big pictures of the Imam (r.a.), Ayatollah Beheshti and Ayatollah Khamenei in the headquarters. The group started its activities. The forces of this irregular guerrilla group were irregular just like its name. There were all kinds of people in it, from teenagers to older people, from illiterates to graduates with Ph.D.s, from very religious forces and people who prayed the Midnight Prayer to people who learned how to pray while in that group, from forces that had gone to religious schools to repented communists… So, all kinds of forces gathered together in a very intimate and appealing atmosphere. The members of this group of nearly forty people were common in one thing; and, that was their bravery and high spirits. Ibrahim who had the responsibility of the group in practice always said, “We don’t have a commander.” He led the group very well through kindness and friendship. The group management system was such a way that all the jobs were done spontaneously. Almost no one ordered anyone else. Most works were carried out in thinking together. Most of all Javad Afrasiabi and Reza Gudini were the constant companions of Ibrahim. One of the daily programs of the group was to help the local people and to solve their problems. Many local forces from Gilan Gharb were attracted to this group in this way. The activities of the group mostly involved forming intelligence and operation teams. Crossing the heights and providing accurate and correct maps of the enemy’s area was one of their other activities. Ibrahim’s method in intelligence was very strange. He crossed the heights with the forces at midnight. They would take position behind the enemy forces and gain very accurate information about their deployment and equipment locations. He said, “If this isn’t done, it is unclear whether we can succeed in our operations. So our information should be accurate and correct.” Ibrahim also taught his methods to other forces. He used to say, “In issues of intelligence, the forces must have courage. If there is fear in a person’s being, he can’t be a successful force.” Then he talked about the exactness and precision of action of the forces. That was why the best and most elite intelligence and reconnaissance forces were trained in this group; and even brave commanders. As the Commander of the 313^th Horr Brigade, who was responsible for information and operations of the Najaf Headquarters, said, “Ibrahim with his methods was the founder of this brigade; although he was martyred before its formation.” The Martyr Andarzgu guerrillas, during its one year of activity, carried out fifty-two small and large operations with its irregular forces. They brought the 4th Division of the Iraqi Army to its knees in the west and imposed heavy casualties on them. In this small group, great people were trained to whom our 8-Year Holy Defense owes its courage. They picked clusters from the harvest of the existence of Ibrahim. They were proud of being his companion. People like: the Martyr Reza Cheraghi who was the brave Commander of the 27th Division of the Hazrat Rasul (s) Army, the Martyr Reza Dastvareh who was the Deputy Chief of the Army, the Martyr Hasan Zamani who was the axis responsible for the Army, the Martyr Sayyed Abulfazl Kazemi who was the Commander of the Maysam Battalion, the Martyr Reza Gudini who was the Commander of the Honayn Battalion, the Martyr Mohammad Reza Ali Awsat who was the Assistant Director of the Moslem bin Aqil Brigade, the Martyr Daryush Rizehvandi who was the Commander of the Malek Battalion, the Martyrs Ibrahim Hesami and Hashem Kalhor who were the Assistant Directors of the Meqdad Battalion, the Martyrs Javad Afrasiabi and Ali Khorramdel who were responsible for the intelligence of the Army, and also several big Commanders of the 8-Year Holy Defense who are now among the honors of the Islamic System.