The expression of popular support for the National Liberation Army was extraordinary. In the nine consecutive battles that took place in and around Islamabad from Monday, July 25, through Thursday, July 28, the NLA's victories against constant raids by Khomeini's forces were made possible only through the support of Islamabad's residents.
Hundreds of Islamabad's young men joined the NLA and fought alongside NLA combatants. Dozens sacrificed their lives fighting off enemy attacks. Their names will go down in Iranian history as courageous soldiers who fought for the liberation of their homeland.
The Khomeini regime reacted by shelling Islamabad. Every 30 minutes, long-range mortar and Katyusha rocket barrages were fired at the town. Helicopters and other aircraft flew low over the town, strafing innocent residents with .50 caliber machine guns. After the operation, the regime took revenge on Islamabad, hanging group after group of innocent people, young and old. The photographs of a few of the barbaric executions were published by Khomeini's press.
Those who could not carry arms helped in other ways. They let the combatants use their homes or walked long distances to take food, water, and fruit for those fighting on the town's perimeter. Local residents cared for the wounded, secured and defended the town, gathered information, provided fuel, and located enemy ammunition depots. Many of Islamabad's women asked to be armed and guarded the town along with the NLA combatants. Those who could not do heavy work asked to donate blood for the wounded so that, in their own words, they "could share at least that much in the combatants' sacrifice" for the liberation of their country.
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