'I actually did not expect the war to end so soon'

I fought in Sector 2 during the liberation war. I was a member of the third guerrilla unit - a temporary unit which was based at my home in Joypur village in Homna Upazila under Cumilla district.

The commander of this unit was Naib Subedar Gias Uddin, who was later promoted as Honorary Major and awarded Bir Protik afterwards.

Under his leadership, we attacked Homna thana twice, where the Pak Army was deployed along alongside regular police forces. I also took part in several other ambush and raid operations in the area. More fighters joined in and at one stage, the unit became 200 strong.

On 8 November, the Pak Army raided our home and burnt it. Of course, we launched an offensive at Panchabati area while they were returning by launch. Dozens of their soldiers were killed in that attack. We also lost three of our comrades and our commander Gias Uddin sustained a bullet in his left leg.

When I heard the news that the Pak Army had surrendered in Dhaka and Bangladesh was liberated, I could not quite express in words how it felt. It was a mixed feeling. I was very happy, but a bit disappointed that the war ended so quickly. I actually did not expect that it would be over so soon.

However, we celebrated the victory together. The villagers joined the guerrillas in the celebration. The next day we went to the Thana headquarter and everyone was in a festive mood.

Md Mahfuzul Islam, Freedom Fighter