Shahrbani was a law‑enforcement force in Iran that, although not a military force, sent its personnel to the frontlines during the Iran– Iraq War. These personnel served as police units and played an effective role in the conflict. The history of Shahrbani goes back to the Qajar era. After returning from Europe, Naser al‑Din Shah, with the help of foreign advisors, established a new law‑enforcement organization in Tehran called Nazmiyeh.⁠[1] During the Qajar period, the Nazmiyeh was active in various cities, but it was renamed Shahrbani under Reza Shah.⁠[2]

In 1946, after World War II, Shahrbani was placed under the Ministry of Interior by a parliamentary vote, and over time, its departments— including the Criminal Investigation Bureau— took on a modern form.⁠[3] In 1959, the Shahrbani Officer Academy was founded to train its personnel.⁠[4] Under the Second Pahlavi, Shahrbani continued to expand, reaching 26,000 personnel by 1970.

After the Islamic Revolution in 1979, Shahrbani— now referred to as SHAJA (Shahrbani of the Islamic Republic of Iran) — experienced organizational disruption like other armed institutions. However, over time, it regained structure,⁠[5] and its personnel grew to around 70,000.⁠[6] With the rise of internal unrest across the country, Shahrbani also became involved in countering anti‑revolutionary groups. One example was its important role in helping other armed forces end the Arab Separatist unrest in Khorramshahr in 1979.⁠[7]

With the start of the Iran– Iraq War, Shahrbani forces in cities near the border found themselves directly confronting the enemy. One example was Abadan. In Late September 1980, with the threat of an Iraqi attack, all Shahrbani personnel were mobilized alongside other military forces. Their efforts peaked on September 27, 1980, a day later designated as Police Day. Under artillery fire, Shahrbani units were stationed at four key points in the city to identify and arrest Iraqi infiltrators and protect civilians’ property. They suffered casualties as well: 8 officers were martyred and 25 wounded on October 29, 1980. On November 12, 1980, in the Zulfaqari area, Shahrbani forces, with the help of other armed units, stopped Iraqi troops from entering Abadan. By that time, 33 police officers had been martyred in Abadan and 73 were wounded. After the siege of Abadan was broken in Operation Thamen al‑Aemmah (as) in September 1981, part of the defensive line along the Arvand River was assigned to Shahrbani.

During the war, Shahrbani personnel from various provinces also volunteered to join the frontlines. They were first deployed to the southern fronts and later to the west and Kurdistan. From September 1980 to 1986, around 14,171 Shahrbani personnel were sent to the fronts in 49 rotations.⁠[8] They took part in several operations, including Valfajr 1 in the northern Fakkah border region in April 1983, where Shahrbani units were among the frontline assault forces, and 12 of them were martyred. They also participated in Operation Valfajr 2 (July 1983, Haj‑Omran).⁠[9] In Operation Valfajr 8 (1986), which led to the capture of the Al-Faw Peninsula, Shahrbani forces served for 75 days under the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps command. Moreover, their role in air‑defense positions led to the downing of several Iraqi aircraft. For instance, an Iraqi aircraft was shot down in Operation Karbala 1 and the liberation of Mehran.⁠[10]

In 1986, a new unit called the Isar Brigade was formed from Shahrbani volunteers, and with 1,250 personnel, it gave Shahrbani a more organized presence on the fronts until the end of the war.⁠[11]

One of Shahrbani’ s key wartime responsibilities was establishing police structures in liberated cities such as Bostan and Khorramshahr.⁠[12]

From 1980 to 1990, Shahrbani was led by Brigadier General Hooshang Vahid Dastgerdi, Colonel Seyyed Ebrahim Hejazi, Colonel Jalil Samimi, Colonel Reza Niknejad, and Second Brigadier General Seyyed Amanollah Mortazavi. During the war, 220 Shahrbani personnel were martyred.⁠[13] The most prominent among them was Brigadier General Hooshang Vahid Dastgerdi. He was martyred alongside President Muhammad-Ali Rajaei and Prime Minister Muhammad-Javad Bahonar in the bombing of the Prime Minister’ s office on August 30, 1981.⁠[14] Furthermore, 686 Shahrbani personnel were wounded during the war, and 66 were taken prisoner of war and later released.⁠[15]

Following the approval of the law merging Iran’ s law‑enforcement forces by the Islamic Consultative Assembly and its confirmation by the Commander‑in‑Chief, Shahrbani was eventually merged in 1991 with the Iranian Gendarmerie and the Islamic Revolution Committees to form the Police Command of the Islamic Republic of Iran.⁠[16]