Takrit camp 11: Difference between revisions
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This camp consisted of two separate parts: | This camp consisted of two separate parts: | ||
=== 1. The main building === | |||
It consisted of of 4 blocks, each containing three or four barracks, there was totally 14 rectangular barracks with approximate dimensions of 5 meters wide and 18 meters long. In each barrack, an average number of 120 prisoners was kept, which sometimes amounted to 150 people. The floors of the barracks were cement and each barrack had 5 windows facing the yard. There were 10 moonlights in each barrack, which were kept lit during the night due to the security concerns. Both blocks faced each other had a common yard and WCs. Until the end of the captivity, the prisoners had the right to eat in turn and at separate times, and communication between the prisoners was forbidden. For this reason, the hours of eating and using WCs were plagued by severe restrictions and punishment during 4 years. The kitchen, infirmary and solitary confinement were located in the middle of the camp between the 2nd and 3rd blocks. The surrounding area of the camp was covered with multiple layers of 15 to 20 meters thick tufted spiral and electrified barbed wire, and 16 watch towers outside the camp were responsible for guarding the camp. | |||
It consisted of of 4 blocks, each containing three or four | |||
=== 2. Castle or annex === | |||
A square-shaped building that was added to the camp later and consisted of a number of rooms with different dimensions between 6 and 20 meters, and accordingly, a different number of prisoners was accommodated in them. The capacity of the annex was about 300 to 400 captives, which sometimes accommodated up to 700 captives. | A square-shaped building that was added to the camp later and consisted of a number of rooms with different dimensions between 6 and 20 meters, and accordingly, a different number of prisoners was accommodated in them. The capacity of the annex was about 300 to 400 captives, which sometimes accommodated up to 700 captives. | ||
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== History and dwellers of Takrit camp 11 == | == History and dwellers of Takrit camp 11 == | ||
The statistical accounts regarding the total number of captives settled in Takrit camp 11 have not been unanimous, but according to the report of the International Red Cross, 2748 prisoners were living in the camp at the time of the exchange <ref name=":0">Khaji, Ali (1391). Description of the cage. Tehran: Payam Azadegan, p. 236.</ref>, which, of course, due to the transfer of some prisoners, before the exchange with other camps, it can logically be conjectured that the true total number must have been higher. The oldest prisoners of the camp were those of Karbala 4 (450 people), Karbala 5 (200 people), and Karbala 6 (200 people); Also, prisoners of Wal-Fajr 10, Beit –ol-Moghaddas 6 and other operations, as well as captured reconnaissance forces and some army officers and pilots, plus captured forces in Faw and Zubaidat area (related to the last days of the war and after the declaration of the ceasefire) for the most part composed the camp. Abu Talib Nahidi, one of the prisoners of this camp, while indicating the aforementioned [[statistics]], believes: "The camp was composed of an almost equal number of the Islamic militia(common people who had volunteered to fight) and the army forces."<ref name=":1">Azadegan(LCs) comprehensive site; Brief introduction of Camp 11. Interview on February 1st, 2015. Retrieved from <nowiki>http://www.iran-pw.com/?p=14251</nowiki></ref> | The statistical accounts regarding the total number of captives settled in Takrit camp 11 have not been unanimous, but according to the report of the International Red Cross, 2748 prisoners were living in the camp at the time of the exchange <ref name=":0">Khaji, Ali (1391). Description of the cage. Tehran: [https://www.mfpa.ir Payam Azadegan], p. 236.</ref>, which, of course, due to the transfer of some prisoners, before the exchange with other camps, it can logically be conjectured that the true total number must have been higher. The oldest prisoners of the camp were those of Karbala 4 (450 people), Karbala 5 (200 people), and Karbala 6 (200 people); Also, prisoners of Wal-Fajr 10, Beit –ol-Moghaddas 6 and other operations, as well as captured reconnaissance forces and some army officers and pilots, plus captured forces in Faw and Zubaidat area (related to the last days of the war and after the declaration of the ceasefire) for the most part composed the camp. Abu Talib Nahidi, one of the prisoners of this camp, while indicating the aforementioned [[statistics]], believes: "The camp was composed of an almost equal number of the Islamic militia(common people who had volunteered to fight) and the army forces."<ref name=":1">Azadegan(LCs) comprehensive site; Brief introduction of Camp 11. Interview on February 1st, 2015. Retrieved from <nowiki>http://www.iran-pw.com/?p=14251</nowiki></ref> | ||
== Camp facilities == | == Camp facilities == | ||
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The kitchen was run by POWs, and with half of the official ration of Iraqi soldiers in terms of cooking ingredients, food was cooked and prepared for the captives. During the captivity, one of the serious problems the prisoners often faced was acute hunger. | The kitchen was run by POWs, and with half of the official ration of Iraqi soldiers in terms of cooking ingredients, food was cooked and prepared for the captives. During the captivity, one of the serious problems the prisoners often faced was acute hunger. | ||
Due to the lack of accurate information on the number of prisoners and the lack of supervision, the appointment of the officials of | Due to the lack of accurate information on the number of prisoners and the lack of supervision, the appointment of the officials of barracks and prisons was usually done by Iraqis and from amidst their trusted people; However, with the passage of time and the managerial inability of these people , they inevitably turned to the officials accepted by the prisoners. Nevertheless, the genuinely effective forces in the camp rarely took official responsibilities. The presence of unregistered old prisoners from Iran's offensive operations and a large number of experienced and responsible front forces in the ranks of the company, battalion, brigade and camp made a unified and united camp, that was less dependent on specific people and official responsibilities. On the other hand, the complete separation of different parts of the camp and the impossibility of contact between them rendered any kind of macro management of the camp impossible. ([[Takrit camp 11]] facilities) | ||
== Important events == | == Important events == | ||
Abdul Hossein Jalalvand, one of the prominent prisoners of the camp, states: "The camp of unregistered prisoners”, due to its special conditions, witnessed unpredictable events every day, accompanied by mass protests and punishments. For this reason, the number of martyrs in the camp has been more than 25 to 30 ones in less than 4 years." <ref name=":1" /> Mohammad Reza Rezaei, Ali Akbar Ghasemi, Ali Akbar Alostani Mofrad, Kurosh Ghasemi, Mehdi Ehsanian, Qaidi, Morteza Abdullahi, Sadruddin and Hossein Pirayande were among those who were martyred in daily incidents by the guards and in front of other prisoners, in most cases they were tortured to death. The important events of the camp are as follows: | Abdul Hossein Jalalvand, one of the prominent prisoners of the camp, states: | ||
"The camp of unregistered prisoners”, due to its special conditions, witnessed unpredictable events every day, accompanied by mass protests and punishments. For this reason, the number of martyrs in the camp has been more than 25 to 30 ones in less than 4 years." <ref name=":1" /> | |||
Mohammad Reza Rezaei, Ali Akbar Ghasemi, Ali Akbar Alostani Mofrad, Kurosh Ghasemi, Mehdi Ehsanian, Qaidi, Morteza Abdullahi, Sadruddin and Hossein Pirayande were among those who were martyred in daily incidents by the guards and in front of other prisoners, in most cases they were tortured to death. The important events of the camp are as follows: | |||
1. The brutal torture of prisoners upon entering the month of Muharram for fear of holding a mourning ceremony (for Imam Hossein), which led to the martyrdom of some; Of course, this ceremony was finally held by the prisoners. Mohammad Rezaei and Ali Akbar Ghasemi were among those who died martys on the eve of Muharram. | 1. The brutal torture of prisoners upon entering the month of Muharram for fear of holding a mourning ceremony (for Imam Hossein), which led to the martyrdom of some; Of course, this ceremony was finally held by the prisoners. Mohammad Rezaei and Ali Akbar Ghasemi were among those who died martys on the eve of Muharram. | ||
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== End of the camp == | == End of the camp == | ||
This camp, which started operating from 23<sup>rd</sup> of February 1986 following the transfer of the prisoners of the 4th and 5th Karbala operations with minimal maintenance facilities, achieved remarkable unity and cohesion among the prisoners despite all the daily restrictions of the Iraqi military. The more the Iraqis pressed the Iranian captives and tried to castigate them by means of torture and banishment, the more they faced their opposition, resistance and defiance. In this camp, the Islamic militia forces and soldiers and officers of the army and guards, in addition to the captured clerics, succeeded in developing a complex organization and made Iraq fail to achieve its goal, which was a double pressure on the Iranian officials and their families even though many of the Iranian captives were unregistered. All the prisoners of Takrit Camp 11, except for a small number were exchanged on the 26<sup>th</sup>,27<sup>th</sup>,28<sup>th</sup> of August 1990<ref name=":0" /> and the rest were released on November 20<sup>th</sup> 1990, following negotiations between Iranian and Iraqi officials. | This camp, which started operating from 23<sup>rd</sup> of February 1986 following the transfer of the prisoners of the 4th and 5th Karbala operations with minimal maintenance facilities, achieved remarkable unity and cohesion among the prisoners despite all the daily restrictions of the Iraqi military. The more the Iraqis pressed the Iranian captives and tried to castigate them by means of torture and banishment, the more they faced their opposition, [[resistance]] and defiance. In this camp, the Islamic militia forces and soldiers and officers of the army and guards, in addition to the captured clerics, succeeded in developing a complex organization and made Iraq fail to achieve its goal, which was a double pressure on the Iranian officials and their families even though many of the Iranian captives were unregistered. All the prisoners of Takrit Camp 11, except for a small number were exchanged on the 26<sup>th</sup>,27<sup>th</sup>,28<sup>th</sup> of August 1990<ref name=":0" /> and the rest were released on November 20<sup>th</sup> 1990, following negotiations between Iranian and Iraqi officials. | ||
The bodies of the martyrs of the camp, which had not been handed over to Iran during the war and captivity, were finally identified with the fall of the Iraqi Baath regime and all of them were returned to the country. | The bodies of the martyrs of the camp, which had not been handed over to Iran during the war and captivity, were finally identified with the fall of the Iraqi Baath regime and all of them were returned to the country. | ||
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'''Rahim Qomishi''' | '''Rahim Qomishi''' | ||
[[fa:اردوگاه تکریت 11]] | |||
Latest revision as of 15:36, 17 October 2025
One of the detention camps of Iranian prisoners in Iraq.
Takrit camp 11 was the oldest camp of the Unregistered among the Iranian camps where the prisoners of the 4th and 5th Karbala operations (December 1986) and many other prisoners of war were kept secretly and far from the reach of the Red Cross agents until September 1990 for roughly 45 months.
Geographical and architectural characteristics
A view reconstructed from the first and second sections of the Takrit camp 11 (below the photo)
This camp consisted of two separate parts:
1. The main building
It consisted of of 4 blocks, each containing three or four barracks, there was totally 14 rectangular barracks with approximate dimensions of 5 meters wide and 18 meters long. In each barrack, an average number of 120 prisoners was kept, which sometimes amounted to 150 people. The floors of the barracks were cement and each barrack had 5 windows facing the yard. There were 10 moonlights in each barrack, which were kept lit during the night due to the security concerns. Both blocks faced each other had a common yard and WCs. Until the end of the captivity, the prisoners had the right to eat in turn and at separate times, and communication between the prisoners was forbidden. For this reason, the hours of eating and using WCs were plagued by severe restrictions and punishment during 4 years. The kitchen, infirmary and solitary confinement were located in the middle of the camp between the 2nd and 3rd blocks. The surrounding area of the camp was covered with multiple layers of 15 to 20 meters thick tufted spiral and electrified barbed wire, and 16 watch towers outside the camp were responsible for guarding the camp.
2. Castle or annex
A square-shaped building that was added to the camp later and consisted of a number of rooms with different dimensions between 6 and 20 meters, and accordingly, a different number of prisoners was accommodated in them. The capacity of the annex was about 300 to 400 captives, which sometimes accommodated up to 700 captives.
Temporary annex of the camp
Blocs 5 and 6 were set up as one of the annexes of camp 11 near the main building with a capacity of 660 people for a while the new unregistered prisoners were placed in it, which due to the lack of water and many other problems, was shut down later on and its captives
were transferred to one of the two main parts.
History and dwellers of Takrit camp 11
The statistical accounts regarding the total number of captives settled in Takrit camp 11 have not been unanimous, but according to the report of the International Red Cross, 2748 prisoners were living in the camp at the time of the exchange [1], which, of course, due to the transfer of some prisoners, before the exchange with other camps, it can logically be conjectured that the true total number must have been higher. The oldest prisoners of the camp were those of Karbala 4 (450 people), Karbala 5 (200 people), and Karbala 6 (200 people); Also, prisoners of Wal-Fajr 10, Beit –ol-Moghaddas 6 and other operations, as well as captured reconnaissance forces and some army officers and pilots, plus captured forces in Faw and Zubaidat area (related to the last days of the war and after the declaration of the ceasefire) for the most part composed the camp. Abu Talib Nahidi, one of the prisoners of this camp, while indicating the aforementioned statistics, believes: "The camp was composed of an almost equal number of the Islamic militia(common people who had volunteered to fight) and the army forces."[2]
Camp facilities
Due to the fact that this camp was far from the reach of representatives of the World Red Cross, it was devoid of sports, recreational, library, workshop and educational facilities. All the necessities that were provided to the prisoners during the four years were: two sets of clothes, two blankets, two sets of underwear, a winter sweater, a glass, a spoon, a pair of slippers and a pair of shoes. The prisoners had to patch their clothes regularly and eke it out.
Camp infirmary
The infirmary was established in the third year, except for outpatient and basic treatments, it did not have the necessary facilities and the medical quota was very limited. For this reason, the death rate due to simple diseases such as dysentery and tuberculosis was high during captivity.
Camp kitchen
The kitchen was run by POWs, and with half of the official ration of Iraqi soldiers in terms of cooking ingredients, food was cooked and prepared for the captives. During the captivity, one of the serious problems the prisoners often faced was acute hunger.
Due to the lack of accurate information on the number of prisoners and the lack of supervision, the appointment of the officials of barracks and prisons was usually done by Iraqis and from amidst their trusted people; However, with the passage of time and the managerial inability of these people , they inevitably turned to the officials accepted by the prisoners. Nevertheless, the genuinely effective forces in the camp rarely took official responsibilities. The presence of unregistered old prisoners from Iran's offensive operations and a large number of experienced and responsible front forces in the ranks of the company, battalion, brigade and camp made a unified and united camp, that was less dependent on specific people and official responsibilities. On the other hand, the complete separation of different parts of the camp and the impossibility of contact between them rendered any kind of macro management of the camp impossible. (Takrit camp 11 facilities)
Important events
Abdul Hossein Jalalvand, one of the prominent prisoners of the camp, states:
"The camp of unregistered prisoners”, due to its special conditions, witnessed unpredictable events every day, accompanied by mass protests and punishments. For this reason, the number of martyrs in the camp has been more than 25 to 30 ones in less than 4 years." [2]
Mohammad Reza Rezaei, Ali Akbar Ghasemi, Ali Akbar Alostani Mofrad, Kurosh Ghasemi, Mehdi Ehsanian, Qaidi, Morteza Abdullahi, Sadruddin and Hossein Pirayande were among those who were martyred in daily incidents by the guards and in front of other prisoners, in most cases they were tortured to death. The important events of the camp are as follows:
1. The brutal torture of prisoners upon entering the month of Muharram for fear of holding a mourning ceremony (for Imam Hossein), which led to the martyrdom of some; Of course, this ceremony was finally held by the prisoners. Mohammad Rezaei and Ali Akbar Ghasemi were among those who died martys on the eve of Muharram.
2. The really limited number of hours the captives were entitled to go to WCs and take the fresh air which at one point was reduced to only one hour a day ,had led to the occurrence of many digestive diseases among them.
3. Prisoners clashed with the Mojahedin-e-Khalgh members following their propagandization with a view to recruiting new members from among the prisoners, which led to the injuries of the Mojahedin-e-Khalgh and spies (→ espionage) and the torture of the prisoners for several days, the discontinuation of break time, so that the captives were hardly allowed to use the WCs, and the discontinuation of food distribution in the camp for several days .
4. The mass mourning of prisoners following the death of Imam Khomeini in the middle of June 1989, which led to subsequent clashes with the guards and the torture and deportation of many identified activists from the camp to the castle and then to Camp 18. As regarded the mourning of the captives, a point had surprised the Baathists; and that is how the Iranian captives had procured dark woolen clothes and mourned in them for Imam despite the intense heat of Iraq.
5. The departed engineer Asadullah Khalidi along with several prisoners, including Reza Rahimi and departed Amir Asgari, started to build a pool in the middle of the camp on the orders of the Iraqis. The pool was designed in such a way that part of it looked like two petals. One of the petals tilted towards the Qiblah and the other one towards Iran, and few prisoners knew about it.
End of the camp
This camp, which started operating from 23rd of February 1986 following the transfer of the prisoners of the 4th and 5th Karbala operations with minimal maintenance facilities, achieved remarkable unity and cohesion among the prisoners despite all the daily restrictions of the Iraqi military. The more the Iraqis pressed the Iranian captives and tried to castigate them by means of torture and banishment, the more they faced their opposition, resistance and defiance. In this camp, the Islamic militia forces and soldiers and officers of the army and guards, in addition to the captured clerics, succeeded in developing a complex organization and made Iraq fail to achieve its goal, which was a double pressure on the Iranian officials and their families even though many of the Iranian captives were unregistered. All the prisoners of Takrit Camp 11, except for a small number were exchanged on the 26th,27th,28th of August 1990[1] and the rest were released on November 20th 1990, following negotiations between Iranian and Iraqi officials.
The bodies of the martyrs of the camp, which had not been handed over to Iran during the war and captivity, were finally identified with the fall of the Iraqi Baath regime and all of them were returned to the country.
See also
Bibliography
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Khaji, Ali (1391). Description of the cage. Tehran: Payam Azadegan, p. 236.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Azadegan(LCs) comprehensive site; Brief introduction of Camp 11. Interview on February 1st, 2015. Retrieved from http://www.iran-pw.com/?p=14251
To read more
Benafi, Mihrab (2015). From Shalamcheh to Takrit, Iraq. Bushehr: the promise of Islam.
Chaldavi, Ahmed (2012). Ahmad Chaldavi's memories from the secret prison of Takrit 11 Saddam. Qom: Education publishing office.
Gharibabadi, Sarah (1391). 1322 days of captivity, a part of the memories of the LC Mohammad Ali Habibollahi. Gorgan: Moghassem.
Farhadi Sawad Rudbari, Bahram Ali (2013). 1271 days of captivity. Tehran: Shahid Publishing House.
Mustafavi, Houshang (2018). From Darbandi Khan to Takrit, memories of captivity. Shahrekord: New.
Yahosseini, Seyyed Ghasem (2012). Red minibus passenger, Yusuf Bakhtiari's oral memories. Bushehr: Sailor.
Yektai Langroudi, Ismail (1370). Takrit Detention Center 11. Tehran: Art District.
Rahim Qomishi