required. However we did not need that help and managed to continue fighting with available officers and JCO's.
On November 24 we captured Fulgazi and Chandgazi and consolidated our position in the whole area. Next day I visited the liberated areas in Belonia and inspected the defences there. That day the guerillas attacked a Razakars camp in Mirsharai area. They killed 3 Razakars and recovered a number of rifles and ammunition.
On 26 November our forces liberated more areas in Belonia. As the news of our success in battle field started spreading all around, the Razakars started surrendering to our forces in larger number.
On 27 November about 30 Razakars surrendered at Chagalnaya alongwith their arms and ammunition. That day, we visited liberated areas beyond Munshirhat along Belonia-Feni Road. The people had already started coming back to their home in the liberated areas.
On 28 November the guerillas attacked an enemy patrol at Hadir Fakir Hat in Mirsharai. There were 4 Pakistani casualties. Soon afterwards the Pakistanis sent reinforcement in the bazar. They burnt down. They burnt down the entire bazar and started killing civilians. The guerillas who had withdrawn after the action were infuriated by the savagery of the Pakistanis and immediately launched a suicidal attack against the Pakistanis. Guerilla Shah Alam charged at the Pakistanis with his carbine and risking his life through heavy firing single handedly, climinated 8 Pakistanis before he was captured. The Pakistanis brutally tortured and killed him on the spot and left his dead body in the burning bazar. The guerillas later recovered the dead body and buried it with due solemnity.
On 30 November the guerillas raided Pakistani position on Nalua Tea garden. There were 5 Pakistanis casualties. One LMG and 2 rifles were captured.
Towards the end of November it was clear to all that the war would start any time. It was also talked about that Yahya Khan was looking for some pretext to start an all-out war in the region, raise the issue in the United Nations, call for immediate cease fire and deploy UN observers along the international borders. The positioning of UN observers could be a source of great hindrance to the steady supply of arms and ammunition that we were receiving from India.
Indian Army meanwhile was in full preparedness. Our guerilla activitics which had reached the peak in the last month, were now being coordinated to coincide with the military operations by the Indian and Bangladesh forces. All guerilla groups operating inside Bangladesh were instructed to carry out their activities behind enemy lines in order to disrupt Pakistani lines of communication and inflict heavier casualtics on the Pakistanis. They were also instructed to disrupt all troop movements so that the Pakistanis could not send timely reinforcement to any places which was threatened by our joint military operations.
