The Reuter correspondent who was present at the battle front during the operation reported that four US-made M-47 tanks, 15 jeep-type vehicles, a mobile launcher for Soviet-made Katyusha rockets and four 106 mm recoilless rifles were among captured mili tary equipment on display t the base.
A NLA commander said at the time of the report 414 Iranian soldiers were taken prisoner west of the town of Shush.
One
of [the POWs] who identified himself as Captain Massoud Ghanbari, said,
'We heard artillery and thought it was Iraqi fire. Then suddenly my men
and I were surrounded by NLA fighters and we surrendered.
Two other prisoners, who gave their ranks as captain and major, gave similar accounts. "With veils covering their heads, dozens of women rode back into Fuka on NLA armored personnel carriers from the front five km to the east. Captives included a considerable number of officers and NCOs. Some of captured weapons on display was Major Khalil Malekan, commander of the 110th battalion, 77th Khorassan division, who told re porters: "The operation was launched with complete advance reconnaissance and elaborate troop coordination. A large number of flares lit up the brigade's operational zone. Our telephone wires were cut in the very first moments. After the start of the operation, the bases and positions, tanks, mortars, depots and the head quarters, fell one after the other. With the fall of the bases, the wireless fell into the hands of the NLA, and they disrupted our internal communications network and we could not contact our units.
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