The residents also located the enemy's headquarters, secret centers, warehouses, and ammunition depots and gave the information to the NLA Command. At their suggestion, ambushes were set at various points to offset potential attacks. Young men joined the NLA and participated in military operations which took control of the town's key positions and routed agents stationed at the Imam garrison.
A shepherd travelled a great distance to inform the NLA of the concentration of enemy forces north of Kerend to attack the town. The information was substantiated by reports from other individuals and verified by patrols formed by local residents and dispatched to check the area. Several GC and Komiteh brigades were preparing to attack in the afternoon of Wednesday, July 27, to capture the northern heights and invade the town. The NLA forces got the jump on the enemy, however, inflicting at least 650 casualties and repelling them from the heights in a two-stage assault.
Meanwhile, the City Council endeavored to provide the essentials of daily life. Staples from the regime's warehouses were distributed among the people and flour distributed to the bakeries for bread.
When the Khomeini regime's attempts to recapture Kerend had been frustrated, it bombarded the town. For three consecutive days, fighter jets and helicopter gunships showered bombs and strafed Kerend. Enemy ground artillery opened a heavy rocket barrage. All the entrances to and exits from the town were under heavy fire, and residential homes were demolished. Despite the atrocities, the enemy could not retake the town. The NLA combatants and Kerend's residents put up a courageous defense and routed waves of Guards attacking from all directions.
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