Heroes of the 8-year Holy Defence (6)

Welcome to the 6th part of our special series on the occasion of the Holy Defence Week marking start of the 8 year war imposed in 1980 by the US through its agent Saddam of the tyrannical Ba’th minority regime of Baghdad in a bid to overthrow the newly established Islamic Republic.

This nefarious plot, however, was foiled by the astute leadership of the Father of the Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini (God bless him), who instilled in the Iranians the spirit of jihad and sacrifice to emerge victorious.

The first edition of Heroes of the 8-year Holy Defence, focused on achievements of the martyred defence minister, Mostafa Chamran.

The second edition featured the exploits of two teenaged students, Behnam Mohammadi of Khorramshahr, and Mohammad Hussain Fahmideh of Karaj against the might of the Ba’thist war machine.

In the 3^rd edition, we presented you glimpses of the heroism of Ahmad Motavasselian, who after service against anti-revolutionaries in Kurdistan and participation in the liberation of the port city of Khorramshahr, was kidnapped in Beirut by the Phalangist terrorist militia, while on a diplomatic mission to Lebanon, and handed over to the illegal Zionist entity, along with four other Iranian officials. It is not known whether Motavasselian and colleagues are still languishing in Israeli dungeons or have achieved martyrdom.

In the 4^th edition we highlighted the heroics of Mohammad Borujerdi, whose ethics and appearance earned him the title of Messiah of Kurdistan by its people.

Yesterday in the fifth edition, we drew attention to the military genius of Hassan Baqeri, and how he achieved immortal martyrdom.

Today in the 6^th edition of Heroes of the 8-year Holy Defence, with the innovative air operation of helicopter pilot Ali Akbar Shiroodi, who finally attained martyrdom during a combat operation.

A unique feature of the US imposed 8-year war on the Islamic Republic through Saddam was that for the first time since the 1850s, Iran emerged victorious in an armed conflict without losing to the aggressor any territory as had been the sorry state of affairs of the past two centuries when the country was forced to part with eastern Khorasan to the Afghans, Bahrain to the Aal-e Khalifa pirates, western Baluchestan to the British, parts of Transoxiana and the Upper Caucasus to the Russians, and the Lake Van region and Soleimania in Iraqi Kurdistan to the Ottoman Turks.

One of the heroes who ensured that Iran will never yield this time to aggressors, was Ali Akbar Shiroodi. Born in a religious family in 1955 in Bala Shirood village located in Tonekabon city, in 1972 he joined army, and after passing the initial pilot and the cobra helicopter course, he graduated with the rank of assistant lieutenant. When demonstrations began against the despotic Pahlavi regime, Shiroodi played an active role in defending the Muslim masses from being targeted by the regime.

As a helicopter pilot, he played a significant role in Kermanshah and when Imam Khomeini returned to Iran from 14 years of exile, he was the supervisor of detection and protection group of Kermanshah city. After victory of the Islamic Revolution, Shiroodi was one of the founders of Islamic Committee in Kermanshah Province.

When sedition started in Kurdistan Province, as an experienced pilot he flew sorties to break the siege of Paveh. He dealt shattering blows to the anti-revolutionary elements. When the Iraqi war started, he was dispatched to the battlefronts and ably discharged his duties.

Shiroodi was among the pilots who flew the highest number of sorties in the world. According to air-war experts, he was one of the most prominent helicopter pilots in the world. He was considered a stylist pilot in flights and air combats, in a way that when attacking the enemy he would dive obliquely and maneuver the copter like a jet plane.

Also he had the highest number of flights in the world. He was injured 40 times and 300 times shelled. He defended Iran, being rescued from 360 cases of death risk. In 1982, on being informed that Iraqi tanks were moving towards Sarpol Zahab for retaking the Bazi Deraz heights, Shiroodi attacked them and destroyed most of the Iraqi tanks but at the end of the operation his helicopter was shot and he was martyred in Qare Bolagh region.

He was only 27 years old, but was skillful and experienced as any veteran pilot. The then Speaker of the Majlis, Hojjat al-Islam Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani referred to him as Malek Ashtar of Iran. The current Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, who was then president of Iran, paid glowing tributes to Shiroodi, saying: “He was indeed the foremost warrior and this was his greatest life-time honour.

Shiroodi was promoted several times during the war but he didn’t accept any of the military ranks. He lived a simple life and was laid to rest in the Behesht-e Zahra Cemetery of Tehran.

FK/AS/SS