Operation Dawn-10 or Walfajr-10[4] (Persian: عملیات والفجر ۱۰) was a large offensive operation launched by Iran against Iraq on March 15, 1988, in the final stages of the Iran–Iraq War. It was commanded by the Pasdaran and included the support of some regular Army forces. The operation shifted Iran's operational area from southern to northern Iraq. The battle was a defeat for Iraq, which suffered more than 10,000 casualties and more than 5,000 troops captured, against some 3,000 Iranian deaths.[4]
| Operation Dawn 10 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Iran–Iraq War | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
 Iraq |
 Iran Supported by:  Peshmerga | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
|
Saddam Hussein Kokeb Mohammad Amin Abdul-Wahid Shannan ar-Ribat Hisham Fakhri |
Ayatollah Khomeni Mohsen Rezaee Ali Sayad Shirazi Ali Shamkhani Yahya Rahim Safavi Masoud Barzani | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
| Unknown | Unknown | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
|
10,000+ killed or wounded 5,440 captured 270 tanks destroyed [1][2] | 3,000 killed [3] | ||||||||
The battle
editOperation Dawn-10[5][6] was launched with the code of "Ya Rasūl Allāh (s)" (Persian: (یا رسول الله (ص)[7] (likewise "Ya Muhammad ibn Abdullah"),[8][9][1] The operation was performed in five phases.[4]
It was executed on the west heights overlooking Darbandikhan Lake in the Sulaymaniyah Governorate in Iraq[7] with the operational goal of preparing a full-on assault on the Darbandikhan Dam.[10] [11] Iranian forces quickly encircled their main objectives with ease, and the Iraqis did not have the time to reinforce the threatened area. The siege caught Iraqi forces completely off guard, as they were expecting an attack from the southern front, from where Iran mainly operated. This failure cost Iraq thousands of troops and hundreds of tanks, armoured vehicles, and equipment,[12] whereas Iran sustained much fewer losses.[13]
Aftermath
editOverall, it led to the capture of 3 towns[7] and around 100 villages[14] in the 1200 square kilometer operational area,[15] including Halabja, Kharmal, Biareh, and Tawileh. It is also claimed that the town of Nosud in Iran was retaken from Iraqi forces. The operation resulted in the death or injury of roughly 10,000 Iraqi forces[1] and the capture of 5440 more.[1][16] The offensive also caused important Iraqi divisions from the south to be diverted to the northern Iraqi mountains, disrupting the overall war effort. As a direct result of the Kurdish involvement in the battle, Saddam ordered the Iraqi military to chemically bombard Halabja, killing thousands of civilians and completely destroying the town.[17]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d "Shahid Qahreman Mahdi-Zadeh -- Operation Dawn-10". dana.ir. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
- ^ "Operation Dawn-10 (Halahbja)". ashoora.ir. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
- ^ "عمليات والفجر 10 ؛ غربت يك حماسه در سايه يك فاجعه هولناك انساني - خبرگزاری مهر | اخبار ایران و جهان | Mehr News Agency".
- ^ a b c "Operation Walfajr 10 (Dawn 10)". portal.anhar.ir. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
- ^ "Untold words from "Operation Walfajr-10"". tabnak.ir. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
- ^ "Documentary of operation dawn 10 (Walfajr-10)". aparat.com. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
- ^ a b c "WalFajr-10 operation -- Halabja liberation and chemical attacks by the Iraqi Ba'ath regime". irna.ir. 17 March 2018. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
- ^ "Liberation -- Operation Walfajr-10 (Dawn-10)". iqna.ir. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
- ^ "Holy Defense, operation Walfajr-10". defamoghaddas.ir. Archived from the original on 13 August 2019. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
- ^ "عملیات والفجر 10". Archived from the original on 2018-07-20.
- ^ "عملیات والفجر 10 (حلبچه)". Archived from the original on 2018-07-20.
- ^ "گزارش عملیات والفجر 10". Archived from the original on 2018-07-20.
- ^ "عمليات والفجر 10 ؛ غربت يك حماسه در سايه يك فاجعه هولناك انساني - خبرگزاری مهر | اخبار ایران و جهان | Mehr News Agency".
- ^ "Halabja conquest, Operation Walfajr-10 (Dawn-10)". defapress.ir. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
- ^ "Walfajr-10 Operation". roshd.ir. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
- ^ "Operation Dawn-10 (Halahbja)". ashoora.ir. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
- ^ "عملیات والفجر10؛آزادسازی حلبچه و حملات شیمیایی رژیم بعث عراق". 17 March 2018.