Atten. . .tion!
The voice which booms through the loudspeakers onto the parade ground little resembles the dry, strident voices of the sergeant majors in a classical military, but arouses a disciplined and harmonious response. An honor guard of three women and three men commanded by a woman approach in a running march step. As they raise the Iranian flag and the Mojahedin emblem, a march is played. Between the two flags, large portraits of Massoud and Maryam Rajavi, leaders of the Iranian Resistance, complete the scene.
After a brief speech by Ibrahim Zakeri, a commander of the National Liberation Army of Iran and a member of the NLAs General Command, the combatants sing an anthem and march off the field in orderly rows. The NLA officer explains that the morning exercises, indicative of the NLA's traditional military discipline, begin each day's schedule.
This
NLA headquarters base at the Iran-Iraq border in many ways resembles a large
base in any army. Personnel carriers, jeeps and military ambu lances are
parked row after row in the motor pool. The sentry towers, obstacle courses
and barracks could be anywhere. But this army's resemblanc
The first thing which strikes the newcomer is the relationship between the NLA combatants. To describe the NLA combatants' interaction as merely "polite" does them an injustice. It goes beyond courtesy. The newcomer realizes that everyone, from officers to soldiers, is on brotherly terms. This unity manifests itself everywhere. Although the NLA observes military discipline, dry, rigid order is avoided. No officer treats his subordinates roughly. There are no traces of the conflicts, quarrels and that war of nerves common in military environments. The atmosphere of harmony is the more striking as combatants are volunteers who have joined the NLA from various parts of Iran and have different ethnic, religious and social backgrounds. Although the Mojahedin, who form the pivotal force of the NLA, are Moslems, the National Liberation Army has no single ideology.
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