# Operation Ghader

Operation Ghader was a large-scale offensive operation of Islamic Republic of Iran Armed Forces during the Iran-Iraq war, which was carried out in 3 stages and for 2 months, from 15 July to 9 September 1985, in Erbil Governorate, Iraq. This operation was jointly carried out, designed and implemented by the Islamic Republic of Iran Army Ground Forces and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, also with the support of the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force and Islamic Republic of Iran Army Aviation, against the Iraqi Armed Forces.

## History

In the Badr operation, which was carried out in March 1985 in the Hawizeh Marshes region, the Iranian forces managed to cross the Tigris river and settle on the side of the Baghdad-Basra road during a heavy battle. Due to use of chemical weapons by the Iraqi army, this operation did not achieve the Iranian commanders' desired results. In order to maintain defensive position, planning to implement the Ghader operation in the northwest of Iran was put on the agenda of the Iranian Armed Forces, after which logistical and procurement measures began.

## Objectives

The Badr operation was the last joint operation of the IRGC and the Islamic Republic of Iran Army during the Iran-Iraq war, and from Ghader operation to the end of the war, these two military organizations each directly planned and executed operations. The first independent operation of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army, after the Badr operation, was the Ghader operation, which was planned under the command of Ali Sayad Shirazi as the commander of the army's ground forces and jointly by the army and the IRGC units, in Oshnavieh region, Erbil Governorate and Sidekan region. The operation Ghader was planned to seize the heights of the region, cut the communication and supply lines of the military and paramilitary forces opposed to the Islamic Republic system inside, destroy the Iraqi forces, seize a part of the Iraqi territory, approach the main roads and communication lines of the Iraqi army.
The Ghader operation was implemented in the fifth year of the Iran-Iraq war in northern Iraqi Kurdistan. This 2-month operation, during 3 stages and with the names; Ghader 1, 2 and 3 were implemented and the purpose of doing it was to dominate the city of Sidekan, Erbil Governorate and also capture the heights of this region.

## Design and implementation

Planning and implementation of Ghader operation was done in 3 separate stages. The first stage of the operation, on July 14, 1985, with the guidance and control of the Hamzeh base, jointly by the Islamic Republic of Iran Army and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, under the command of Ali Sayad Shirazi, the commander of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army Ground Forces at the time, began in Sidekan region, located 35 kilometers deep in Iraqi soil, and ended on July 30, 1985 after achieving limited goals.
The second stage of Ghader operation was implemented on September 9, 1985 at a wider level than the first stage, after the necessary preparations and the dispatch of reinforcements and the completion of reconnaissance operations. The Hamzeh base located in the northwest of Iran, in the second stage of planning, divided the combination of active army and IRGC units in the form of 6 sub-bases, named "Hamzeh 1" to "Hamzeh 6" with the support of Islamic Republic of Iran Army Aviation and the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force. In this phase of the operation, due to the fact that it was carried out in a mountainous area that is difficult to navigate, during the 4 days of the attack, the Air Force units played a key role in supporting the Iranian operating forces, in such a way that in the Ghader 2 operation, the attacks of the Hamzeh 4 sub-base was completed only by the air forces.

## Summary of the battle

At 2:00 a.m. on July 15, 1985, the Iranian soldiers broke through the defense lines of the Iraqi Ground Forces and advanced from the west of the city of Oshnavieh, in the territory of Iran, to the heights of the Kalashin region, located in Erbil Governorate of Iraq. In each of the stages of this operation, goals were achieved, but factors such as the heavy artillery of the Iraqi forces caused this operation to be completely unsuccessful on September 9, 1985, and only the destruction of a part of the Iraqi forces and their war machines was enough. Colonel Hassan Abshenasan The commander of the 65th Airborne Special Forces Brigade of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army Ground Forces was killed during this operation. As a result of this operation, the heights in the areas Hesar Doost, Barbazin, Kargezin, Lolan, Gardeshvan and Bashkin, up to a depth of 35 kilometers from Iraqi soil and large areas of Sidekan and Diana, were captured by Iranian forces.

## Operation results

As a result of Ghader operation, about 2,000 Iraqi forces were killed, 3,000 were wounded, and 30 Iraqi soldiers were captured by Iranian forces. During this operation, 6 fighter planes of the Iraqi Air Force and 3 helicopters of the Iraqi Army were shot down by the Iranian forces, and during the 3 stages of the Ghader operation, a total of 22 tanks, 274 light and heavy vehicles, and 25 artillery pieces were also shot down by the Iranian forces. The result of this continuous operation for Iranian forces was the liberation of Sarsepandar, Kolahzardeh and Barbarzindoost heights. Ghader operation resulted in the loss of 3 infantry commando battalions from the 5th Corps of the Iraqi Army, as well as the killing and wounding of 1,020 Iraqi forces.