Mersad Operation
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Operation Mersad (, Operation Ambush) also called Operation Foroughe Javidan (, Operation Eternal Light, MeK's codename) were among the last major military operations of the
Iran–Iraq War The Iran–Iraq War, also known as the First Gulf War, was an armed conflict between Iran and Iraq that lasted from September 1980 to August 1988. Active hostilities began with the Iraqi invasion of Iran and lasted for nearly eight years, unti ...
. In July 1988, 7,000 militants from the Peoples Mojahedin Organization of Iran (MEK) launched a major military offensive with the goal of capturing key cities such as
Kermanshah Kermanshah is a city in the Central District (Kermanshah County), Central District of Kermanshah province, Kermanshah province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district. The city is from Tehran in the western pa ...
, and ultimately topple the Iranian government. Led by
Lieutenant-General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was normall ...
Ali Sayad Shirazi Ali Sayad Shirazi (, 13 June 1944 – 10 April 1999) was an Iranian military officer. He served as commander of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army Ground Forces, Iranian Ground Forces during the Iran–Iraq War and was a key military figure during ...
, Operation Mersad began on 26 July 1988 and lasted only a few days, whereby the
Iranian Armed Forces The Iranian Armed Forces, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran Armed Forces, are the combined military forces of Iran, comprising the Islamic Republic of Iran Army (''Artesh''), the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (''Sepah'') and the Polic ...
defeated MEK forces.


Prelude and objectives

On 20 July 1987 the Iran–Iraq War was coming to an end under the
United Nations Security Council Resolution 598 United Nations Security Council resolution 598 S/RES/0598 (1987), (UNSC resolution 598) adopted unanimously on 20 July 1987, after recalling United Nations Security Council Resolution 582, Resolution 582 and United Nations Security Council Resolu ...
. Iran had suffered major defeats in southern Iraq during the Second Battle of Al Faw and Operation Tawakalna ala Allah as well as along the central portion of the border within Iran, and was contemplating on accepting the ceasefire. The MEK operation code-named "Eternal Light" took place on 26 July 1988, six days after Ayatollah Khomeini had officially announced his acceptance of the UN brokered ceasefire resolution. Both Iran and Iraq had accepted
United Nations Security Council Resolution 598 United Nations Security Council resolution 598 S/RES/0598 (1987), (UNSC resolution 598) adopted unanimously on 20 July 1987, after recalling United Nations Security Council Resolution 582, Resolution 582 and United Nations Security Council Resolu ...
, which would end the war on 8 August 1988. However, the National Liberation Army (or NLA, the Mujahedin-e-Khalq's military wing) seized the opportunity to attack central part of the Iran-Iraq border before the ceasefire came into effect. On 26 July the NLA seized Karand and Islamabad-e Gharb. The NLA's next target was Bakhtaran, but on July 29 they announced a voluntary withdrawal from Islmabad-e Gharb and Karand.Hiro, Dilip, ''The Longest War'', (1999), pp. 246–47 Following Operation Mersad, Iranian officials ordered the mass execution of prisoners said to support the MEK. Ali Montazeri said the ministry of intelligence used Operation Mersad as a pretext to carry out the mass killings, which "had been under consideration for several years".


Operations Eternal Light and Mersad

The operation started on 26 July 1988. In the face of Iraqi chemical attacks, Iran had evacuated
Qasr-e Shirin Qasr-e Shirin (, is a city in the Central District of Qasr-e Shirin County, Kermanshah province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district. Its population in 2016 was 18,473. It is a Free-trade zone (FTZ) and is populated ...
and
Sarpol-e Zahab Sarpol-e Zahab () is a city in the Central District of Sarpol-e Zahab County, Kermanshah province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district. The town is close to Qasr-e Shirin and the Iraqi border. Demographics Langu ...
. These two towns were to be used by the MEK to push further into Iran. On 26 July, the MEK advanced further into Iran in coordination with the
Iraqi Air Force The Iraqi Air Force (IQAF; ) is the aerial warfare service branch of the Iraqi Armed Forces. It is responsible for the defense of Iraqi airspace as well as the policing of its international borders. The IQAF also acts as a support force for t ...
and captured
Kerend-e Gharb Kerend-e Gharb () is a city in the Central District of Dalahu County, Kermanshah province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district. Demographics Language and ethnicity The city is populated by Kurds Kurds () ...
and Islamabad-e Gharb. At the latter, a large number of wounded Iranian soldiers were dragged from the city hospital and shot in the courtyard by the NLA forces. The MEK and Iraqi forces razed to ground the city of Islamabad-e Gharb, which had a population of 15,000. This act alienated the local Kurdish population. They also captured key strongholds along the Baghdad-Tehran highway. The MEK met scant resistance from the limited numbers of Revolutionary Guards, which were promptly defeated, pushing 145 km (90 mi) deep into Iran towards the provincial capital city of
Kermanshah Kermanshah is a city in the Central District (Kermanshah County), Central District of Kermanshah province, Kermanshah province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district. The city is from Tehran in the western pa ...
. Iran's Kurdish fighters did slow the advance, allowing time for the Iranians to prepare their counteroffensive. The MEK's next target was the provincial capital city of
Kermanshah Kermanshah is a city in the Central District (Kermanshah County), Central District of Kermanshah province, Kermanshah province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district. The city is from Tehran in the western pa ...
, with a population of 500,000. Iran allowed the MEK to advance to the city but had prepared an
ambush An ambush is a surprise attack carried out by people lying in wait in a concealed position. The concealed position itself or the concealed person(s) may also be called an "". Ambushes as a basic military tactics, fighting tactic of soldi ...
. This counterattack, called Operation Mersad was led by
Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...
Ali Sayyad Shirazi Ali Sayad Shirazi (, 13 June 1944 – 10 April 1999) was an Iranian military officer. He served as commander of the Iranian Ground Forces during the Iran–Iraq War and was a key military figure during the war. He was assassinated by Mojahedin- ...
. Iran cut off MEK's supply lines, by landing
paratroopers A paratrooper or military parachutist is a soldier trained to conduct military operations by parachuting directly into an area of operations, usually as part of a large airborne forces unit. Traditionally paratroopers fight only as light inf ...
behind them. As the Iraqi airforce did not venture beyond Islamabad-e Gharb, Iranian airforce attacked the MEK forces. Iranian Air Force
F-4 Phantoms The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is an American Tandem#Aviation, tandem two-seat, twinjet, twin-engine, all-weather, long-range supersonic aircraft, supersonic jet interceptor aircraft, interceptor and fighter-bomber that was developed by ...
bombed Mujahedeen convoys on the Kermanshah highway, followed by Army Aviation helicopters using anti-tank missiles. Most enemy armour was destroyed, in a miniature version of the
Highway of Death The Highway of Death ( ''ṭarīq al-mawt'') is a six-lane highway connecting Kuwait and Iraq, officially known as Highway 80. It runs from Kuwait City to the border town of Safwan, Iraq, Safwan in Iraq and then on to the Iraqi city of Basra. ...
during the
Persian Gulf War , combatant2 = , commander1 = , commander2 = , strength1 = Over 950,000 soldiers3,113 tanks1,800 aircraft2,200 artillery systems , page = https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96- ...
. The MEK advance had been abruptly and completely halted. The Iranian army and Revolutionary Guard then moved north from Khuzestan, encircling and suppressing the remaining resistance in the city of
Kerend-e Gharb Kerend-e Gharb () is a city in the Central District of Dalahu County, Kermanshah province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district. Demographics Language and ethnicity The city is populated by Kurds Kurds () ...
on 29 July 1988. On 31 July, Iran drove MEK forces out of Qasr-e-Shirin and Sarpol Zahab, though the MEK claimed to have "voluntarily withdrawn" from the towns. Iran estimated that 4,500 Mujahedeen soldiers were killed, while 400 Iranian soldiers died. Many senior MEK commanders were killed, and many MEK militants were not given quarter. Iran claimed it destroyed 200 tanks and 700 other vehicles. The Iranian successes during Operation Mersad were partially because of effective coordination between the
Army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...
and the Revolutionary Guard.


Aftermath

Operation Mersad was the last land battle of the Iran–Iraq War. The last notable combat actions of the war took place on 3 August 1988, in the Persian Gulf when the Iranian navy fired on a freighter and Iraq launched chemical attacks on Iranian civilians, killing an unknown number of them and wounding 2,300. Resolution 598 came into effect on 8 August 1988, ending all combat operations between the two countries. 02By 20 August 1988, peace with Iran was restored. UN peacekeepers belonging to the UNIIMOG mission took the field, remaining on the Iran–Iraq border until 1991. While the war was now over, Iraq spent the rest of August and early September clearing the Kurdish resistance. Using 60,000 troops along with
helicopter gunships An attack helicopter is an armed helicopter with the primary role of an attack aircraft, with the offensive (military), offensive capability of engaging ground targets such as enemy infantry, military vehicles and fortifications. Due to their ...
, chemical weapons (poison gas), and mass executions, Iraq hit 15 villages, killing rebels and civilians, and forced tens of thousands of Kurds to relocate to forced settlements. 9Many Kurdish civilians immigrated to Iran. By 3 September 1988, the anti-Kurd campaign ended, and all resistance had been crushed. 9400 Iraqi soldiers and 50,000 Kurdish civilians and soldiers had been killed. Following the operation, Iran executed several thousand political prisoners across the country, mainly members of the MEK, but also members of the Tudeh Party (Communist Party) and other opposition groups. The estimates for number of executions vary from as little as 1,400 to as high as 12,000. The most likely number was given by dissident Ayatollah Hussein-Ali Montazeri, as being between 3,800–4,500. The death toll may have been higher for those MEK executed by frontline
courts-martial A court-martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of members of the arme ...
or dying in prison.
Ali Sayad Shirazi Ali Sayad Shirazi (, 13 June 1944 – 10 April 1999) was an Iranian military officer. He served as commander of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army Ground Forces, Iranian Ground Forces during the Iran–Iraq War and was a key military figure during ...
was the Iranian commander responsible for the coordination between the Revolutionary Guard and the Iranian army, that was responsible for the success of Operation Mersad. In April 1999, an MEK operative posing as a roadsweeper killed Shirazi outside his home.


Bibliography

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See also

*
People's Mujahedin of Iran The People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI), also known as Mojahedin-e-Khalq (MEK) or Mojahedin-e-Khalq Organization (MKO) (), is an Iranian dissident organization. It was an armed group until 2003, afterwards transitioning into a politica ...
*
Massoud Rajavi Massoud Rajavi (, born 18 August 1948 – disappeared 13 March 2003) is an Iranian politician and revolutionary who became the leader of the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (MEK) in 1979. After leaving Iran in 1981, he resided in France ...
* Operation Forty Stars


References


External links

*
sajed.ir in English – The Official site of Holy Defence – Iraq-Iran War 1980–88
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mersad 1988 Military operations of the Iran–Iraq War in 1988 History of Kermanshah province July 1988 in Asia Military operations of the Iran–Iraq War involving the Peshmerga Military operations of the Iran–Iraq War involving the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran