Today, Thursday, 24th of Hoot (March 14) marks the 45th anniversary of the bloody uprising of 1357 (solar year) by the people of Herat against the communist regime of that time.

More than four decades after this bloody event, witnesses of the uprising said they have not forgotten that horrific day.

It is said that this uprising was the beginning of other Afghans' uprisings against the communist regime and the former Soviet Red Army in the country.

Ghulam Mohammad, who fought against the communist regime's military forces in the city of Herat during the uprising of March 14, said that in this uprising, all people, including women and children, rose against the military of that government. 

This 63-year-old man added that the communist regime's military forces ruthlessly shot all the uprisers and spilled blood.

He told TOLOnews’ reporter in Herat: "The situation was very bad. We fought with sticks and pickaxes in hand."

Witnesses of the 24th Hoot uprising have bitter and horrific stories of the massacre and bloodshed of people on this day.

"The communists were bombing and shooting at us, thank God we were not killed. We were here in Herat for twenty-four days,” said Fazl Ahmad, a Herat resident.

Ahmad Ali Ghordarwazi, one of the former Jihadi commanders in Herat, who played a significant role in fighting against the former Soviet Red Army and the communist regime under their support, said that the uprising by the people of Herat led to other uprisings of the Afghan people against the former Soviet Red Army and eventually led to defeat of the former Soviet Union and the regime under its support.

"After this day, the people of Afghanistan realized the depth of the atrocities and crimes of the ruling regime in Afghanistan and felt that there is no other way but to fight,” he said.

The residents of Herat rose up on the 24th of Hoot 1357 - March 14, 1979, against the communist regime of that time. It is said that on this day, more than 24,000 of the uprisers lost their lives and thousands of others were wounded and disabled in this bloody event.