Operation Quds-3
Mohammadali Abbasi Aghdam
62 بازدید
Operation Quds-3 was the third limited operation in the series of Quds operations. It was carried out on July 9 and 10, 1985, under the command of the 19th Fajr Division of the IRGC. It aimed to capture Hill 194, located west of the Mimeh River in the general area of Dehlran, at a point called "Black Valley". Simultaneous with this operation, the Islamic Republic of Iran Army also conducted an operation in the Sharhani area, which allowed for Operation Quds-3 to be supported.
After Operation Badr, all units were asked to select and identify an area to carry out limited operations. The Khatam al-Anbiya Base proposed some areas to some units with the aim of establishing sub-camps. On April 23, 1985, the commander of the 19th Fajr Division of Fars Province, in a meeting attended by the Commander-in-Chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, proposed several areas for these limited operations, including Qasr Shirin, Somar, and especially the west of the Mimeh River in the north of Tayyeb, Iraq. But the Khatam al-Anbiya Base asked the Fajr Division to work on the Kanisheikh area. The insistence of the 19th Fajr Division on the area west of the Mimeh River was due to the fact that the Iraqis had complete control over Dehlran, as they were positioned in the heights of the area, especially the Height 194. In addition, the forces of the 19th Fajr Division had identified it due to its defensive line. With the insistence of the officials of the 19th Fajr Division and the agreement of Khatam al-Anbiya Base, the practical actions of the 19th Division began on June 27, 1985.[1] In planning this operation, the mission of the 19th Fajr Division was to destroy and capture the Iraqi forces positioned at Height 194 and stabilize the area. However, due to the lack of forces, it was decided that the fighters would return after destroying the position and capturing personnel and equipment.[2]
The operational area of Quds-3 was known as "Ain Mansour" Heights among Iraqis and "Black Valley" among local residents. This area is located in the general axis of Dehlran-Tayyab, west of Mimeh River and has a series of heights, including peaks 216, 214, 172, 194, 128, 137 and 100. Also, to the east of the river, which is known as Bayat, the height of 208 was very important, because it overlooks the western edge of the Mimeh region. These areas and heights were located north of the border line and in Iranian territory, and the Iraqis, in their retreat after the liberation of Khorramshahr, had preserved an important part of these areas due to their sensitivity and military importance.
The defense line on Height 216 and the responsibility for its defense was given to the 205th Gendarmerie Battalion of Bakhtran (Kermanshah) - under the command of the 58th Zulfiqar Division. Iraq's initial line was also located in front of the Malha Grove on Height 194. The Iraqis had enough visibility of the Khodi line and the general area of Dehlran by settling on this height. Their obstacles in this operation were two rows of mines and ten rows of circular barbed wire. Around the Iraqi trenches in this axis, sixteen rows of circular barbed wire were installed, and around its bases and headquarters, three explosive and illuminated minefields and 24 rows of stringed barbed wire were installed.[3]
At 19:00 on July 10, 1985, the forces of the 19th Fajr Division gathered in Farah Abad and, after performing Maghrib and Isha prayers, went to the operational area. However, due to reasons such as the lack of vehicles, darkness and lack of visibility, the narrowness of the road and the creation of traffic, the forces reached the designated point with a delay, especially a group from the Qasim bin al-Hasan Division. The soldiers of the Imam Mahdi Battalion moved as close to the enemy as possible. But in total, more than an hour had passed from the allocated time for the operation until the readiness of the operating forces was announced.
After reaching the designated point, all the battalions announced their readiness to start the operation at 02:40 on July 10, 1985. After that, Nabi Rudaki, the commander of the 19th Fajr Division, announced the start of the operation at 02:45. The codename of the operation was "Walahool walaqwa ila ba Allah al-Ali al-Azeem, Inna Fathana Laka Fathan Mobina.”
The Qasim bin al-Hasan Division started its operations from bases on the main road. The forces of Imam Mahdi Battalion also surrounded the enemy's strongholds. The battalion of Imam Ali, whose mission was on the left axis of the operation, entered the conflict and attacked the Iraqi trenches during the very first moments.[4]
The surprise and unfamiliarity of the Iraqi forces with the region was one of the most important factors in the success of the battalions and the clearing of the region. Despite the success of the Qasim bin al-Hasan Battalion in destroying the Iraqi bases, this battalion could not completely clear the ambushes located in the groves around the road. The battalions of Imam Mahdi and Qasim ibn al-Hasan encountered problems on the right axis when they returned. They were blocked by the Iraqis and fired on heavily. This inflicted many casualties within their ranks. The battalion of Imam Ali did not have such problems when it returned and was completely successful in achieving its goals.[5]
Operation Quds-3 is considered as being amongst the successful operations. Clearing an area of twenty to thirty square kilometers, killing and injuring more than seven hundred Iraqi soldiers, destroying ten ammunition depots, six 106-mm guns, an air defense weapon and a large number of light and heavy vehicles of the Iraqi army were among the most important results of this operation. In total, with the implementation of Operation Quds-3, the 1st Battalion of the 805th Infantry Brigade of the Iraqi Army was completely destroyed and 60% of the 2nd Battalion was destroyed, while the 3rd Battalion was also damaged.
An important point in this operation was the appropriate mental state of the Iranian forces, which even managed to overcome some problems and weaknesses. In this operation, the losses of Iranian forces in the return phase were more than the time of advancing and clashing. The battalion of Imam Mahdi had one martyr and two wounded in the advancing, clearing and destroying phase, but while returning, it suffered six martyrs and had more than forty wounded.[6]
On July 10, 1985, when Operation Quds was carried out, the army forces also took action in the Sherhani area in order to recapture the occupied areas. This caused the Iraqis to focus on the Sherhani front and concentrate their artillery fire in that area. In fact, the army's operation was actually a decoy for Operation Quds-3 and indirectly supported it.[7]
At 06:45, on July 20, the Iraqi forces started their attack towards Height 137 by preparing forces and carrying out raids by helicopter, while two planes also bombarded the cities of Musian and Dehlran. Their advance was hindered by the fire of Iranian forces and the destroying of some of their tanks. But by 12:00, they were able to settle behind Height 137 and by the night they were also stationed on Height 194.[8]
[1] The series of operations Quds: mobilization on the fronts and preventing the enemy from calming down, Tehran: Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Center for War Studies and Research, 2005, pp. 40 and 53.
[2] Ibid, p. 42.
[3] Ibid, pp. 41 and 42
[4] Ibid, p. 47- 45.
[5] Ibid, pp. 47-49.
[6] Ibid, pp. 51, 52, and 49.
[7] Drodian, M., A review of Iran-Iraq War, Volume 2: Khoramshahr to Faw, a military-political survey of the war after the liberation of Khorramshahr to the conquest of Faw and the liberation of Mehran (July 1992 to August 1996), Tehran: Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Center for Studies and War research, 5th chapter, 1999, p. 132
[8] Nakhai, H., Farahani, H., Chronicle of the Iran-Iraq War: Book 37: Development of Relations with Asian Powers, Tehran: Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Studies and Research Center, March 3, 2011, p. 385.
