Operation Nasr 4
Encyclopedia
Operation Nasr-4 was a successful Iran
ian offensive in Iraqi Kurdistan
.
) had come to a complete halt, while Iran was losing in the central front. The only place Iran could still rely on to win the war was the North. In May, Iran launched Operation Karbala Ten
, in this operation Iran supported by Kurdish Peshmerga
defeated Iraq and endangered Kirkuk.
attacked Iraq.
front while Iraq recaptured almost all land lost in the central front (with use of gas). Iraq could attack Iranian oil platforms and oil tankers while Iraq has their loads transported via other Arab countries
, Iran got frustrated and started attacking neutral ships, this ended in the US starting Operation Earnest Will
to protect the ships, Iran kept on attacking and, after a US ship was heavily damaged by an Iranian mine the US launched Operation Praying Mantis
. In this operation they first damaged 2 Iranian oil-platforms, followed by the largest naval battle since World War II
. The Iranian navy lost a frigate, a gunboat and several speedboats during the battle. In the north Iran continued advancing and Saddam started gassing the Kurdish population. Following this Ayatollah
Khomeini finally accepted peace. But by this time Saddam didn't want peace anymore and attacked Iran
for Kermanshah
but Iran halted his attack and in the south the People's Mujahedin of Iran
which attacked Khuzestan with Iraqi air support where defeated and their army was completely destroyed in Operation Mersad
. Now Saddam also accepted peace and the 8 year war was finally over.
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
ian offensive in Iraqi Kurdistan
Iraqi Kurdistan
Iraqi Kurdistan or Kurdistan Region is an autonomous region of Iraq. It borders Iran to the east, Turkey to the north, Syria to the west and the rest of Iraq to the south. The regional capital is Arbil, known in Kurdish as Hewlêr...
.
Prelude
After Operation Karbala 5 the southern front (BasraBasra
Basra is the capital of Basra Governorate, in southern Iraq near Kuwait and Iran. It had an estimated population of two million as of 2009...
) had come to a complete halt, while Iran was losing in the central front. The only place Iran could still rely on to win the war was the North. In May, Iran launched Operation Karbala Ten
Operation Karbala Ten
Operation Karbala Ten was a joint effort by Iran and the Kurdish rebels in Iraq.Because there was hardly any movement anymore at the southern front, the Iranians thought they could better break through in the Northern front in Kurdish Iraq. They broke through the Iraqi defense lines and surrounded...
, in this operation Iran supported by Kurdish Peshmerga
Peshmerga
Peshmerga or Peshmerge is the term used by Kurds to refer to armed Kurdish fighters. Literally meaning "those who face death" the Peshmerga forces of Kurdistan have been in existence since the advent of the Kurdish independence movement in the early 1920s, following the collapse of the Ottoman...
defeated Iraq and endangered Kirkuk.
The battle
After coming dangerously near the city of Kirkuk with Karbala-10, Iran launched Operation Nasr-4 which became one of Irans' greatest successes in the war. Supported by the Kurds, Iranian Pasdaran fighters under command of Brigadier-General Ali Sayad ShiraziAli Sayad Shirazi
Ali Sayad Shirazi was chief-of-staff of the Iranian forces during Iran's 8-year war with Iraq. He was assassinated in 1999. Prior to that, he had a central role in suppressing the armed rebellion in Kordestan province in 1979.-Background:...
attacked Iraq.
Aftermath
Nothing more happened in the south until Iraq reinvaded the Al-Faw PeninsulaAl-Faw Peninsula
The Faw peninsula is a marshy region adjoining the Persian Gulf in the extreme south-east of Iraq, between and to the south-east of the cities of Basra and Abadan ....
front while Iraq recaptured almost all land lost in the central front (with use of gas). Iraq could attack Iranian oil platforms and oil tankers while Iraq has their loads transported via other Arab countries
Arab League
The Arab League , officially called the League of Arab States , is a regional organisation of Arab states in North and Northeast Africa, and Southwest Asia . It was formed in Cairo on 22 March 1945 with six members: Egypt, Iraq, Transjordan , Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and Syria. Yemen joined as a...
, Iran got frustrated and started attacking neutral ships, this ended in the US starting Operation Earnest Will
Operation Earnest Will
Operation Earnest Will was the U.S. military protection of Kuwaiti owned tankers from Iranian attacks in 1987 and 1988, three years into the Tanker War phase of the Iran–Iraq War. It was the largest naval convoy operation since World War II.The U.S. Navy warships that escorted the tankers, part of...
to protect the ships, Iran kept on attacking and, after a US ship was heavily damaged by an Iranian mine the US launched Operation Praying Mantis
Operation Praying Mantis
Operation Praying Mantis was an attack on April 18, 1988, by U.S. naval forces within Iranian territorial waters in retaliation for the Iranian mining of the Persian Gulf during the Iran Iraq war and the subsequent damage to an American warship....
. In this operation they first damaged 2 Iranian oil-platforms, followed by the largest naval battle since World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. The Iranian navy lost a frigate, a gunboat and several speedboats during the battle. In the north Iran continued advancing and Saddam started gassing the Kurdish population. Following this Ayatollah
Ayatollah
Ayatollah is a high ranking title given to Usuli Twelver Shī‘ah clerics. Those who carry the title are experts in Islamic studies such as jurisprudence, ethics, and philosophy and usually teach in Islamic seminaries. The next lower clerical rank is Hojatoleslam wal-muslemin...
Khomeini finally accepted peace. But by this time Saddam didn't want peace anymore and attacked Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
for Kermanshah
Kermanshah
Kermanshah is a city in and the capital of Kermanshah Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 784,602, in 198,117 families.The overwhelming majority of Kermanshahi people are Shi'a Muslims...
but Iran halted his attack and in the south the People's Mujahedin of Iran
People's Mujahedin of Iran
The People's Mujahedin of Iran is a terrorist militant organization that advocates the overthrow of the Islamic Republic of Iran....
which attacked Khuzestan with Iraqi air support where defeated and their army was completely destroyed in Operation Mersad
Operation Mersad
Operation Mersad was the name given by the Iranian government to its successful counterattack against a July 1988 military incursion from Iraq by a military force of about 7000 members of the People's Mujahedin of Iran, armed and equipped and given air support by Saddam's Iraq...
. Now Saddam also accepted peace and the 8 year war was finally over.