113: Chapter 110 Baghdad

February 21, 8:00 PM, Basra, command headquarters basement.

Lieutenant General Shangshale finally managed to contact Baghdad.

Communication was established via a backup shortwave radio—the main communication equipment had been destroyed by Iran's missiles, and only this old radio was still functional.

"Mr. President," Lieutenant General Shangshale said into the microphone, "The situation in Basra is irreversible. The Iranians have broken through from the west of the city and cut off my north-south corridor. My troops are compressed within a two-kilometer radius of the city center. The water supply is cut off, ammunition is insufficient, and the Iranians are hitting my headquarters with MILAN missiles. Reinforcements were ambushed, and the vanguard has been completely wiped out. I request approval—"

He paused for a moment.

"—to break out."

He did not say surrender. He said break out. But he knew that there was practically no difference between breaking out and surrendering—his troops were already surrounded, and the chance of breaking out was less than five percent.

There was a long silence on the other end of the radio.

Then Saddam Hussein's voice came through, cold and icy: "No breaking out. No surrendering. Basra is the second-largest city in Iraq; if we lose Basra, we lose the entire south. You are to hold it. Reinforcements will arrive tomorrow."

"Mr. President, the reinforcements were ambushed—"

"I will send more reinforcements. Two divisions. They will depart tomorrow morning and arrive the day after. You only need to hold for two days."

"My water will only last two days—"

"Then hold for two days."

The radio cut off.

Lieutenant General Shangshale sat in his chair, his hands trembling slightly.

The adjutant stood nearby, saying nothing. He had heard the entire conversation.

"General," the adjutant whispered, "Saddam Hussein said to hold for two days."

"I know what he said," Lieutenant General Shangshale said, "but what about after two days? Can reinforcements really arrive? The first batch of reinforcements was ambushed; won't the second batch be ambushed as well?"

The adjutant did not answer.

Lieutenant General Shangshale stood up, walked to the door, and looked at the soldiers in the corridor. They were squatting on the ground, backs against the wall; some were drinking that greenish water, some were checking how many bullets were left in their magazines, and some had their eyes closed, not knowing whether they were sleeping or praying.

Thirty-five thousand people.

Their lives were in his hands.

February 22, 6:00 AM, Basra.

The siege entered its second day.

Rajai, following Reza's instructions, fired one or two MILAN missiles into the Iraqi defensive perimeter every hour. Not to kill, but to create panic.

The effect was excellent. Under the continuous missile strikes, the Iraqi soldiers' nerves became increasingly taut. They did not know when or where the next missile would explode.

What was more lethal was the lack of water.

The water in the storage tank was almost bottomed out by the second morning. The remaining water was prioritized for the wounded and officers; ordinary soldiers could only lick their lips and wait. Some began to drink the rusty water from the heating pipes, and some sneaked out of the defensive perimeter to find water—but most of those who ran out did not return.

At 10:00 AM, the first batch of Iraqi soldiers surrendered.

It was not a large-scale surrender, but sporadic. Three, five, ten—small groups of soldiers crawled out from the edge of the defensive perimeter, holding white flags or white undergarments, and walked toward the Iranian positions.

Rajai ordered the frontline troops to receive the surrendering soldiers but not to pursue. Let the surrender happen naturally.

11:00 AM, Ahvaz.

"Your Highness," Karimi said, "we have intercepted internal Iraqi communications. Several of Lieutenant General Shangshale's brigade commanders are arguing. Some advocate continuing to hold, some advocate breaking out, and some advocate surrendering."

"Who advocates surrendering?"

"Colonel Khalid Ibrahim, commander of the 7th Infantry Brigade. His brigade has suffered the heaviest casualties, with attrition exceeding forty percent."

"Send him a message," Reza said.

"How should I send it?"

"Via broadcast. Use Arabic to broadcast on the front line, telling the Iraqi soldiers: those who surrender will not be mistreated, officers will retain their ranks, and the wounded will be treated immediately. Specifically mention the 7th Brigade—tell them, your brigade commander is already considering surrender."

Karimi hesitated for a moment: "This is psychological warfare. If Khalid himself is not actually prepared to surrender—"

"It is not important. What is important is letting other Iraqi officers think he is prepared to surrender. They will suspect each other and be wary of each other. An army that suspects each other cannot fight a war."

1:00 PM, Basra, command headquarters basement.

Lieutenant General Shangshale received a piece of news that shocked him.

Colonel Khalid, commander of the 7th Infantry Brigade, did not surrender, but two of his battalion commanders took over a thousand men and laid down their weapons, surrendering to the Iranians as a formed unit.

Khalid said to Lieutenant General Shangshale over the phone: "General, I did not order a surrender. It was them themselves—"

"I don't care who gave the order," Lieutenant General Shangshale said, "Over a thousand people have surrendered. This will shake the entire defensive line."

He hung up the phone, sat in his chair, and closed his eyes.

Thirty-five thousand men, minus combat attrition, minus those who fled, minus those who surrendered, he had less than twenty-five thousand men left in his hands. These people were thirsty, hungry, and tired, and morale had hit rock bottom.

What about reinforcements?

The two divisions Saddam Hussein talked about had no news until now. He had contacted them three times via shortwave radio and only received one vague reply: "Currently in mobilization."

What does "currently in mobilization" mean? Did they not depart? Did they depart and get ambushed? Or did they never intend to come at all?

2:00 PM, he made a decision.

"Call all brigade commanders for a meeting."

2:30 PM, basement conference room.

Six brigade commanders, plus Lieutenant General Shangshale, seven people sat around a wooden table.

On the table was a pot of water—the last pot of clean water.

"Gentlemen," Lieutenant General Shangshale said, "I will be blunt. Basra cannot be held."

No one spoke.

"The water can last for one more day. Ammunition can support one medium-scale battle. We don't know when reinforcements will arrive. The Iranians are hitting us with missiles every hour. Over a thousand people have already surrendered."

He looked into the eyes of every brigade commander.

"I have two choices. First, continue to hold and wait for reinforcements. But if the reinforcements don't come, we will all die here. Second, negotiate with the Iranians and strive for a conditional surrender."

"Baghdad does not allow surrender," a brigade commander said.

"Baghdad is not here," Lieutenant General Shangshale said, "I am here. You are also here. The families of the thirty-five thousand soldiers are also here."

Silence.

"I need you to vote. Those who will stay, raise your hands."

No one raised their hand.

"What about breaking out?"

Two people raised their hands.

"Negotiating a surrender?"

Four people raised their hands.

Lieutenant General Shangshale nodded.

"I will contact the Iranians."

3:15 PM, Ahvaz.

"Your Highness," Karimi's voice trembled slightly, "Lieutenant General Shangshale sent a message via clear-text communication. The content is: 'Iranian commander, I am Lieutenant General Shangshale, commander of the Iraqi Southern Military Region. I request to negotiate with your side.'"

The operations room was silent for three seconds.

Then everyone spoke at once.

"Surrendered?"

"They are surrendering!"

"Twenty-five thousand men—"

"Quiet," Reza said.

He walked to the communication console and picked up the microphone.

"Tell Lieutenant General Shangshale: The Iranian side agrees to negotiate. The conditions are as follows—first, all Iraqi troops must lay down their weapons within two hours. Second, all officers will retain their personal effects and rank insignia. Third, the wounded will receive immediate medical treatment. Fourth, Lieutenant General Shangshale himself must personally come to the Iranian position to sign the instrument of surrender."

Karimi repeated it, confirmed it was correct, and then sent the reply.

Ten minutes later, Lieutenant General Shangshale's reply came: "Accept all conditions."

Reza put down the microphone and walked to the map.

Basra. Iraq's second-largest city. A population of one million. Four days ago, it was still in Saddam Hussein's hands.

Now it was his.

He took out that dark blue notebook and wrote a line on the latest page:

"February 22, 1981, 3:25 PM. Basra, taken."