Shushtar
Priya Sabzemohammadi.
50 بازدید
Shushtar is a city located in Khuzestan province. During the Iraq-imposed war against Iran, it was subjected to Iraqi air attacks from the onset.
It has been around since before Islam. This city is made up of three central parts, Gatund and Aghili. It borders Dezful from the north, Ahvaz from the south, Shush from the west, Suleiman Mosque from the east, and Ramhormoz from the southeast.[1] Shushtar translates to “better” and was named this due to the abundance of water and fertileness of the land.[2]
This region has a warm and sometimes hot and humid climate. The people of the city include many clans of the Haftlang Bakhtiari Tribe who speak Persian with a sweet dialect and accent.[3]
The water of the Karun River enters Gatund and then divides into two branches named "Shatit" and "Gargar" in the northern part of Shushtar. They then join again at a place called Band Qir, which is 44 kilometers to the south.[4] Among the ancient monuments of this city mentioned can be made of the Shadarvan Dam and Bridge, Salasal Castle, waterfalls (which are surrounded by a number of water mills that are part of the world heritage), Kolafrangi Tower, crypts and the Askar Makram City.[5]
On the sixth day of the Iraq- imposed war, i.e., on September 27, 1980, an Iraqi air strike targeted Shushtar.[6] Three civilians were martyred and many injured in this strike.[7] Several days later, on the morning of October 8, 1980, another Iraqi air strike was conducted on the city.[8]
Two days later, on October 10, 1980 at 10:00., two Iraqi planes bombed Shushtar, breaking the windows of the Gendarmerie Building and surrounding houses. It also damaged several other parts of the city. Two rockets were also fired around Shushtar Bridge and Dezful, which did not cause any damage.[9] The next day, Pars News Agency wrote the following about the attack of the invading Iraqi MiGs on Shushtar: “Yesterday morning, a number of bombs were dropped near the city. As a result of this attack, electricity was cut off in a part of the city and the windows of some buildings in the city were broken, fortunately there were no casualties.”[10]
On October 25, 1980, two Iraqi MiGs were attacked by machine gun fire in Shushtar, and they were forced to flee due to anti-aircraft fire. There were no casualties in this attack either.[11]
At the end of October 1980, those affected by the war from cities such as Dezful, Ahvaz, Shush, Abadan, Khorramshahr, Susangerd, Dasht Azadegan, Hamidiyeh, etc. migrated to Shushtar and cities such as Mahshahr and Behbahan due to their relative safety and proximity to their places of residence.[12]
On May 5, 1981, two Iraqi planes bombed the wheat fields of Bene Zeidan Village in Shushtar, there were no casualties.[13]
A little later, one of the members from the minority people's loyalist guerrilla organization, who was responsible for organizing the organization's forces, was identified and arrested on August 20, 1981 in Shushtar.[14]
On November 11, 1981, at 07:00, an explosion occurred in Shushtar’s shooting range, two boys were injured.[15]
With the disintegration of the People's Mojahedin Organization on September 23, 1982, the plan to attack Basij and IRGC bases and steal the IRGC ammunition depot in Shushtar was thwarted. Officials of security departments and organizations in this region were among those arrested.[16]
Twenty-two days later, on October 15, 1981, three hypocrites, who were trying to steal explosives from the IRGC ammunition depot in order to bomb and destroy it, and create panic among the people, were arrested.[17]
On January 20, 1983, this city experienced five air strikes, which were all repelled by the air-defense of the Islamic Republic of Iran.[18]
After the conversion of the 7th Brigade of Vali Asr into an army in 1983, fighters from Shushtar and other cities of the province joined this army and took part in subsequent operations.[19]
On October 4, 1986, six Iraqi planes bombed the Karun Agriculture and Industry Company located on the outskirts of Shushtar and the company's labor town (Bustan Township), which, in addition to the damage to the company's facilities and warehouses, killed 21 of the company's employees and their families. Additionally, 150 people were injured. In this attack, Iraqi planes bombarded the company's warehouses and premises with machine guns and, while fleeing the area, they threw a number of rockets into the sugarcane fields, which caused a fire. In these attacks, one of the Sukhoi planes was targeted by the air-defense stationed in this area and was shot down. The bombardment of Shushtar Agriculture and Industry Company took place just a day before the date set for mining to start at this complex. This information was attained with the help of local spies.[20]
Following the large-scale air attacks of Saddam's army on October 29 and 30, 1986, several people were martyred and injured, and some structural damages was also caused. Several Iraqi planes also bombarded the camp of war refugees in the area of Gatunddam. In addition to financial losses, six people were martyred and eighteen people were injured. The attacking planes also bombed the location of the 18th al-Ghadir Brigade near Gatund and the Anbiya Military Barracks proximate to Shushtar.[21]
On August 21, 1987, the Karun Agriculture Company was again attacked by three Iraqi planes. Eight rockets were fired. But, because the attack happened on a holiday, no one was hurt.[22]
On December 24, 1987, the Iraqi planes of Aqaba bombed a number of IRGC units in the south of the country, one of these areas being the Shushtar suburbs.[23]
On March 14 and 15, 1988, several Iraqi planes bombed various residential areas of Shushtar, resulting in the martyrdom of 29 people, with 35 people being injured. Furthermore, one person was martyred and one injured in the bombardment of Abu Azam Village, a suburb of this city.[24]
In March 1988, Iraq repeatedly bombed Shushtar, such that it was almost completely deserted, with people migrating to nearby villages.[25]
On March 22, 1988, Iraqi planes attacked several residential areas in Shushtar. In this attack, four people were martyred and fifteen injured.[26]
Three days later, on March 25, 1988, Shushtar was bombed again. This time, in addition to the destruction of several residential houses, five people were also injured.[27]
On April 7, 1988, four people, including a woman and two children, were martyred and twenty people were injured. The mosque, several residential units and shops were also damaged.[28]
In 1982, the repair and restoration office in Shushtar completed the restoration and reconstruction of 41 residential units. By the end of 1983, while the work of rebuilding the previous destruction was finished, Shushtar was attacked again.[29]
[1] Habibi, A., Atlas of Khuzestan in the Iran-Iraq War, Holy Defense Documents and Research Center, 2013, p. 17; Dehkhoda, Ali Akbar, Dictionary of Dehkhoda, Volume 9, University of Tehran, 1994, p. 12843.
[2] Meridi Shushtri, A., Shushtar means better, Ahvaz: Terava, 2012, p. 47.
[3] Ibid, pp. 21-24, 161 and 162.
[4] Ibid, pp. 29 and 30.
[5]Taghizadeh, M., Shushtar in the passage of history from the ancient era to the Islamic revolution, Tehran: Bashir Alam-Wadab Cultural Institute, 2002, pp. 154-174.
[6] Pourdarab, S., Calendar of History of Holy Defence, Volume 2: Roar of Cannons, Tehran: Islamic Revolution Documentation Center, 2005, p. 160.
[7] Ibid, p. 160.
[8] Ibid, p. 396.
[9] Ibid, p. 422.
[10]Ibid, p. 449.
[11] Pourdarab, S., Calendar of the History of Holy Defense Vol. 3: Invincible Bridges, Tehran: Islamic Revolution Documentation Center, 2006, pp. 75 and 76.
[12]Lotfollahzadegan, A., Journal of the Iran-Iraq War, Book 11: The History of the Occupier's Last Steps, Tehran: Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps War Studies and Research Center, 2000, p. 180; Acharesh, Ali, Hubrah, Isfahan: Darkhoin, 2011, pp. 57 and 58.
[13] Pourdarab, S., Calendar of the History of the Holy Defense Vol. 9: Successive Blows, Tehran: Islamic Revolution Records Center, 2007, p. 298.
[14] Yazidi, Y., Chronicle of the Iran-Iraq War, Book 15: Breaking the Siege of Abadan, Holy Defense Records and Research Center, 2016, p.530.
[15] Behrouzi, F., Nabi, Calendar of Holy Defense History, Volume 15: Forough Fatah, Tehran: Islamic Revolution Records Center, 2009, p. 496.
[16]Lotfollahzadegan, A., Chronicle of the Iran-Iraq War, book twenty-one: Operation Muslim Bin Aqeel, Tehran: Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Sacred Defense Documents and Research Center, 2011, p. 482.
[17]Ibid, p. 850.
[18] Pourdarab, S., Calendar of History of Holy Defense Vol. 29: Battle in Hard Conditions, Tehran: Islamic Revolution Records Center, 2013, p. 438
[19] Saleminjad, A., Crossing Safin and Nineva waterways, Tehran: Nilofran, 2017, p. 14.
[20] Ansari, Mahdi, F., Yahya, Lotfollahzadegan, Alireza, Chronicle of the Iran-Iraq War, Book 44: MacFarlane's Story, Tehran: Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps War Studies and Research Center, 2008, p. 238.
[21] Ibid, p. 521.
[22] Yazdanfam, M., Journal of the Iran-Iraq War, Book 50: Escort of Oil Tankers, Tehran: Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps War Studies and Research Center, 1999, p. 390.
[23] Ardestani, H., Chronicle of the Iran-Iraq War, Book 52: The Global Effort to Stop the War, Tehran: Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps War Studies and Research Center, 2002, p. 438.
[24] Yazidi, Y., Chronicle of the Iran-Iraq War, Book 54: Valfajr Operation 10- Chemical Bombing of Halabja, Tehran: Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Sacred Defense Research Documents Center, 2012, pp. 116 and 150.
[25] Ibid, p. 520.
[26] Ibid, p. 361.
[27] Yazidi, Y., Journal of the Iran-Iraq War, book fifty-four, p. 433.
[28] Ibid, p. 714.
[29] The main activities of reconstruction and modernization of war-torn areas in 1961 and 1962, Secretariat of the Central Headquarters for Reconstruction and Modernization of War-torn Areas, 1984, pp. 285 and 286.
