Operation Dawn 2 or Operation Valfajr-2 () was an Iranian operation during the eight-year-long

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 ...

. This operation opened a new front in northern

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

Iraqi Kurdistan Iraqi Kurdistan or Southern Kurdistan () refers to the Kurds, Kurdish-populated part of northern Iraq. It is considered one of the four parts of Greater Kurdistan in West Asia, which also includes parts of southeastern Turkey (Northern Kurdist ...

also known as "the Northern Front". Despite Turkish help, this region was Iraq's weak point during the war as the

Kurds Kurds (), or the Kurdish people, are an Iranian peoples, Iranic ethnic group from West Asia. They are indigenous to Kurdistan, which is a geographic region spanning southeastern Turkey, northwestern Iran, northern Iraq, and northeastern Syri ...

sided with Iran.The First Gulf War (Iran and Iraq at War in the 1980s)
/ref>

Prelude

In the year leading up to the operation, fighting between Iraqi and Iranian forces drew to a stalemate on the southern front. Iranian forces repeatedly used

human wave Humans (''Homo sapiens'') or modern humans are the most common and widespread species of primate, and the last surviving species of the genus ''Homo''. They are great apes characterized by their hairlessness, bipedalism, and high intelligenc ...

attacks in the southern marshlands and deserts, only to be repulsed by forces of the Iraqi Third, Fourth, and Sixth Corps. However, the Iranian government managed to win favor of the

Kurdish Kurdish may refer to: *Kurds or Kurdish people *Kurdish language ** Northern Kurdish (Kurmanji) **Central Kurdish (Sorani) **Southern Kurdish ** Laki Kurdish *Kurdish alphabets *Kurdistan, the land of the Kurdish people which includes: **Southern ...

people in parts of northern Iraq, thus allowing the opportunity to take the war north. The main objective of the mission was the frontier town of Haj Omran, which was nestled on the border and surrounded by mountainous terrain. Rebels of the

Kurdistan Democratic Party The Kurdistan Democratic Party (), usually abbreviated as KDP or PDK, is the ruling Political party, party in Iraqi Kurdistan and the senior partner in the Kurdistan Regional Government. It was founded in 1946 in Mahabad in Iranian Kurdistan. ...

of Iraq would prove a great asset to the advancing Iranians, given their knowledge of the terrain and the people.

The battle

On July 22, Iranian forces advanced from

Piranshahr Piranshahr (, Kurdish: ''Pîranşar'' or ''Khane'') is a city in the Central District of Piranshahr County, West Azerbaijan province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district. Etymology According to the Arab geogr ...

and were highly successful against the Iraqis, effectively seizing Haj Omran in the process. The Iranians and Kurdish

guerrillas Guerrilla warfare is a form of unconventional warfare in which small groups of irregular military, such as rebels, Partisan (military), partisans, paramilitary personnel or armed civilians, which may include Children in the military, recruite ...

made use of elevated ridges to launch ambushes on Iraqi positions and convoys. In all, they seized roughly of Iraqi territory. Iraq responded with counteroffensive, launching an airborne assault and employing the use of

poison gas Many gases have toxic properties, which are often assessed using the LC50 (median lethal concentration) measure. In the United States, many of these gases have been assigned an NFPA 704 health rating of 4 (may be fatal) or 3 (may cause serious ...

for the first time in the entire war. The Iraqis hit Iranian troops on mountain tops near Haj Omran with

mustard gas Mustard gas or sulfur mustard are names commonly used for the organosulfur compound, organosulfur chemical compound bis(2-chloroethyl) sulfide, which has the chemical structure S(CH2CH2Cl)2, as well as other Chemical species, species. In the wi ...

while their troops advanced in the slopes. The Iraqis were unfamiliar with the properties of poison gas and the agent descended back down to the exposed Iraqi troops. At the same time, the rugged terrain held up Iraqi

tank A tank is an armoured fighting vehicle intended as a primary offensive weapon in front-line ground combat. Tank designs are a balance of heavy firepower, strong armour, and battlefield mobility provided by tracks and a powerful engine; ...

s. The use of

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 ...

was also hampered, since the Iranian and Kurdish fighters had better cover. These were the deciding factors that contributed to Iraq's loss of the battle.

Order of battle

; Malik Ashtar Command *

Islamic Republic of Iran Army The Islamic Republic of Iran Army (), acronymed AJA (), commonly simplified as the Iranian Army, is the conventional military of Iran and part of the Islamic Republic of Iran Armed Forces. It is tasked to protect the territorial integrity of th ...

Islamic Republic of Iran Army Ground Forces The Islamic Republic of Iran Army Ground Forces (, ''Niruye Zaminiye Arteše Jomhuriye Eslâmiye Irân''), acronymed NEZAJA (, NEZAJA) are the ground forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army. In Iran, it is also called ''Artesh,'' () which i ...

*** 77th "Pirooz" Infantry Division of Khorasan **** 2nd Infantry Brigade of Quchan ***** 3 infantry battalions *** 92nd Armored Division of Khuzestan **** 1 mechanized battalion ***

64th Infantry Division of Urmia The 64th Infantry Division of Urmia () is an infantry division of the Ground Forces of Islamic Republic of Iran Army based in Urmia. Over the 2011–2012 period, it may have become an Operations Headquarters, retaining command of its previous thr ...

**** 1st Brigade ***** 1 infantry battalion **

Islamic Republic of Iran Army Aviation The Islamic Republic of Iran Army Aviation (IRIAA) (in ), more commonly known as the Havānīrūz (, ), is the army aviation of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army Ground Forces. It has about 300 helicopters both for Attack helicopter, attack and Mi ...

Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), also known as the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, is a multi-service primary branch of the Islamic Republic of Iran Armed Forces, Iranian Armed Forces. It was officially established by Ruhollah Khom ...

14th Imam Hossein Division 14th Imam Hossein Division () is a division of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). It was first officially organized as the 3rd Imam Hossein Brigade during the Iran–Iraq War, just before Operation Tariq al-Qods. Its units had partici ...

Commanded by Hujjat-ul-Islam Mostafa Raddanipoor *** 2 infantry battalions **

33rd Al-Mahdi Brigade 33rd Al-Mahdi Division (, named after the twelfth Shia Imam, Al-Mahdi) was a brigade of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. It was established on 24 February 1982 before Operation Fath ol-Mobin in the Iran–Iraq War, with Ali Fazli as its comm ...

Commanded by Mohammad Jaafar Asadi *** Fajr Battalion
Commanded by Morteza Javidi *** 9 other unnamed infantry battalions ** 155th Shohada Special Brigade
Commanded by Mahmoud Kaveh *** 2 infantry battalions **

8th Najaf Ashraf Division 8th Najaf Ashraf Armored Division () is a division of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. It was first officially organized as the 8th Najaf Ashraf Brigade () during Iran–Iraq War, just after Operation Samen-ol-A'emeh. Initially, the soldie ...

Commanded by Ahmad Kazemi *** 2 infantry battalions * Artillery unit ** 11 artillery batteries *

Jihad of Construction Jihad of Construction or Construction Jihad ( ''Jahād-e Sāzandegī''), or simply Jihad ( ''Jahād'') was one of Organizations of the Iranian Revolution. The organization began as a movement of volunteers to help with the 1979 harvest, but soon ...

Basij The Basij (, lit. ''The Mobilization'') or Sâzmân-e Basij-e Mostaz'afin (, lit. ''Organization for Mobilization of the Oppressed''), is a paramilitary volunteer militia within the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and one of its five ...

Gendarmerie A gendarmerie () is a paramilitary or military force with law enforcement duties among the civilian population. The term ''gendarme'' () is derived from the medieval French expression ', which translates to " men-at-arms" (). In France and so ...

* Local tribal fighters ''Source:'' ;

(KDP) *

Peshmerga The Peshmerga () are the internal security forces of Kurdistan Region. According to the Constitution of Iraq, regional governments are responsible for "the establishment and organization of the internal security forces for the region such as p ...

** 1,000 militia fighters ; * 91st Infantry Brigade * 98th Infantry Brigade * 66th Infantry Brigade * 1 tank battalion * 31st Special Forces Brigade ** 2nd Battalion * Tariq Commando Battalion * Ta'im Commando Battalion

References

* ''The Longest War'', by Dilip Hiro, Routledge, Chapman, and Hall, Inc., NY, 1991. * ''The Iran-Iraq War: Chaos in a Vacuum'', by Stephen Pelletiere, Praeger Publishers, New York, NY, 1992. * http://www.hamshahrionline.ir/details/1430 {{DEFAULTSORT:Dawn 2 Military operations of the Iran–Iraq War in 1983 1983 in Iraqi Kurdistan July 1983 in Asia Iraqi war crimes Ambushes in Iraq 1983 road incidents Road incidents in Iraq Military operations involving chemical weapons during the Iran–Iraq War Military operations of the Iran–Iraq War involving the Peshmerga Iraqi airstrikes during the Iran–Iraq War Airstrikes in Iraq during the Iran–Iraq War