Operation Tariq al-Quds

Operation Tariq al-Quds (Persian: عملیات طریق القدس, meaning "Operation Path to Jerusalem") was a military operation launched by Iran during the Iran–Iraq War to free Bostan in the Khuzestan province. It was fought from 29 November to 7 December 1981^[12]: 122 and was carried out jointly by the Iranian Army and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Operation Tariq al-Qods
Part of Iran–Iraq War[1][2]
Date 29 November – 7 December 1981 (1 week and 1 day) Location Dasht-e-Azadegan, Bostan and west of Susangerd, in Khuzestan, South-West Iran[3][4][5] Result Iranian victory[6][7][8][9] Territorial changes Iran retakes Bostan area (800 km2). Iran also retakes Chazabeh border checkpoint, reaching Hawizeh Marshes, threatening to cut off Iraqi forces at Susangerd.
Belligerents
Iraq	Iran
Commanders and leaders
Saddam Hussein (President of Iraq)	Hossein Kharrazi Mohammad Boroujerdi Gholam Ali Rashid Massoud Monfared Niyaki
Strength
Unknown	≈20,000 60 tanks[10]
Casualties and losses
1,500–2,500 killed[10] 170 tanks and APCs, 200 vehicles, 13 aircraft, 4 helicopters destroyed. 15 tanks and APCs, 250 vehicles, 30 anti-aircraft pieces, 19 artillery pieces, 12 loaders and bulldozers captured.[11]	2,500–6,000 killed[10] Dozens of armored vehicles Several AH-1J Cobra helicopters

The operation resulted in the liberation of Bostan and 70 villages. The news of Bostan's liberation was the first such news released during the war. It was labeled by Ayatollah Khomeini, Iran's leader at the time, as "the victory of victories".^[13]: 175

Before the battle

Iran initially tried to regain control over Bostan in August 1981 but was not successful.^[13]

Operation planning

The operation was designed by two independent groups affiliated with IRGC and the Iranian army, respectively under the supervision of Mohsen Rezaei and Ali Sayyad Shirazi. The planning groups selected Dashte-e Azadegan zone for the operation, where Iranian troops would require less forces and equipment for victory. Moreover, the area included the Chazabeh border terminal, whose capture could divide the Iraqi forces located in the north and south of Khuzestan province. More reconnaissance was then carried out before the operation.^[14]

Reconnaissance

The reconnaissance operations were carried out under the observation of Hassan Baqeri. According to one of the reconnaissance forces, the Iraqi troops in the operation zone were watched on an hourly basis. After reviewing the reports issued by the operation intelligence unit, Baqeri advised the attack be conducted via Chazabeh, which was a sandy and impassable route. The suggestion was rejected initially by army commanders, but was later accepted. To increase the possibility of victory, Jihad of Construction constructed a 9 km road,^[14] allowing a substantial number of the Iranian troops on the northern flank of the Iraqi defenses.^[13]: 174

The battle

The operation was launched on 29 November 1981^[15][16][17] and lasted more than a week.^[12]: 122 Sixty tanks and 20,000 soldiers were dispatched towards Bostan for the operation.^[18]: 184 The Iranians used human wave attacks in their offensive for the first time in the war. Around 13,000 Iranian troops fought in the operation, more than half of which were IRGC forces.^[19]: 75 During the operation, Iran lost 6,000 troops, more than twice as many men as the Iraqis (2,500).^[20] However, the attrition rate was in Iran's favor, as it was able to eliminate an important supply route. This was critical because Iraq did not have enough soldiers for a long front line. After almost 36 hours, the Iranian troops retook Bostan and repelled the Iraqi forces away towards the west by several kilometers.^[19]: 75

Iranian attack

On the evening of 28 November, as it became dark, intelligence forces used lanterns to mark the newly constructed road through Chazabeh strait. Five minutes after midnight on 29 November, the commanders announced "Ya Hossein" ("O Hossein !"), signaling the start of the operation.^[14] The attack was carried out via two columns,^[18]: 184 one on the north axis and one on the south.^[14] In the north, the Iranian troops reached Iraq's artillery unit before they woke up, and after an intense fight the Iranian side won the battle. In the south, Iraqi troops were higher in numbers, making the fight more difficult for the Iranians. Hence, some of the north forces were dispatched to south. Bostan was liberated on the morning of 29 November and the news was sent to Tehran, marking the first news about the liberation of a city during the Iran-Iraq war.^[14] Iraqi forces had not expected an attack due to the poor conditions.^[18]: 184

Iraqi counterattack

Iraqi forces conducted a counterattack in the south. After three days of fighting, the counterattack was defeated by the Iranians.^[14] On 6 November, Iranian forces were surprised by Iraqi commandos trying to cross the Saboleh bridge.^{[clarification needed]} Seven Iraqi tanks passed over the bridge, threatening Bostan. The two sides exchanged fire and the Iraqi tanks were captured by Iran, leading to an Iraqi retreat.^[14]

Order of battle

Iran

The following was the order of battle by the Iranian troops:^[21][22]

• Ground Forces of Islamic Republic of Iran Army:
  • 16th Armored Division of Qazvin
    • 1st Brigade
    • 2nd Brigade
  • 92nd Armored Division of Ahvaz
    • 3rd Brigade
  • 77th Infantry Division of Khorasan
    • 1st Brigade
  • 8 artillery battalions
• Pasdaran:
  Commanded by Gholam Ali Rashid
  • 1st Ashura Brigade
    • 9 infantry battalions
  • 2nd Karbala Brigade
    Commanded by Morteza Ghorbani
    • 3 infantry battalions
  • 3rd Imam Hossein Brigade
    Commanded by Hosein Kharrazi
    • 8 infantry battalions
  • 34th Imam Sajjad Brigade
  • Imam Hassan Brigade (backup)
    • 3 infantry battalions
• Islamic Republic of Iran Gendarmerie
  • 1 battalion
• Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force
• Islamic Republic of Iran Army Aviation

Iraq

The Iraqi order of battle at the onset of the operation was as follows:^[23]

• 321st Artillery Battalion
• 330th Artillery Battalion
• 355th Artillery Battalion
• 368th Artillery Battalion
• 382nd Artillery Battalion
• 390th Artillery Battalion
  • 1 artillery battery
• 362nd Artillery Battalion
  • 2 artillery batteries
• Iraqi Air Force
  • Iraqi Air Defense Command

North of Karkheh:

• 5th Division
  • 26th Armored Brigade
• 8th Mountain Infantry Division
  • 23rd Brigade
    • 1st Infantry Battalion
• 4th Mountain Infantry Division
  • 93rd Infantry Brigade
• 422nd Infantry Brigade
• 31st Special Forces Brigade
• 32nd Special Forces Brigade
• Popular Army
  • Al-Mahmoudiyah and Islam units

South of Karkheh:

• 6th Armored Division
  • 25th Mechanized Brigade
  • 16th Armored Brigade
  • 30th Armored Brigade
  • 96th Armored Brigade
• 11th Infantry Division
  • 48th Infantry Brigade
• 3rd Armored Division
  • 12th Armored Brigade
    • Qadisiyyah Tank Battalion
    • Qutaibah Tank Battalion
    • Mu'tasim Tank Battalion
    • 3rd Mechanized Battalion
• 32nd Special Forces Brigade
  • 1 battalion
• 20th Difaa al-Wajibat Battalion
• 7th Infantry Division
  • Commando units
• Popular Army
  • Islam unit

See also

• Operation Quds-1
• Operation Beit ol-Moqaddas

References

1. Beit al-Maqdis operation was the turning point of eight years of holy defense/ active participation of Qazvin fighters in the liberation of Khorramshahr
2. The untold stories of Martyr Sayad Shirazi from the Beit al-Maqdis operation
3. Operation Beit al-Maqdis at a glance
4. Details of the four stages of "Beit al-Maqdis" operation to liberate Khorramshahr
5. The beginning of the second stage of the Beit al-Maqdis operation and the capture of Shalamcheh border fortresses
6. How did Shalamcheh's release happen in the Beit al-Maqdis operation?
7. The liberation of Khorramshahr | The role of air defense in the Beit al-Maqdis operation / From the destruction of 46 fighter planes to the surprise of the Western military from all kinds of initiatives
8. Which road was the key axis of "Beit al-Maqdis" operation?
9. "Beit al-Maqdis" operation
10. Razoux, Pierre (2015). The Iran-Iraq War. Harvard University Press, 2015. p. 184,186. ISBN 978-0674915718.
11. "Tariq al-Qods operation; The password to the liberation of Bostan" (in Persian). IRNA. 29 November 2015. Archived from the original on 10 September 2022. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
12. Samuel, Annie Tracy (2021-10-21). The Unfinished History of the Iran-Iraq War: Faith, Firepower, and Iran's Revolutionary Guards. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-108-47842-7. Archived from the original on 2022-09-10. Retrieved 2022-08-07.
13. Murray, Williamson; Woods, Kevin M. (2014-09-04). The Iran-Iraq War: A Military and Strategic History. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-107-06229-0. Archived from the original on 2020-07-10. Retrieved 2022-08-14.
14. "An overview on Tariq al-Qods operation". Defa Press. Archived from the original on 10 September 2022. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
15. The operation that showed that the Quds route passes through Khorramshahr
16. The Beit al-Maqdis operation was the arena for the emergence of the power of Iranian forces/ Lorestan's share of this operation was 120 martyrs
17. The liberation of Khorramshahr in four stages / the day when the illusion of Iran's division is over
18. Razoux, Pierre (2015-11-03). The Iran-Iraq War. Harvard University Press. ISBN 978-0-674-08863-4. Archived from the original on 2020-07-30. Retrieved 2022-08-14.
19. Ostovar, Afshon (2016). Vanguard of the Imam: Religion, Politics, and Iran's Revolutionary Guards. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-938789-2. Archived from the original on 2022-09-10. Retrieved 2022-08-07.
20. Karsh, Efraim (2002). The Iran–Iraq War: 1980–1988. Osprey Publishing. pp. 1–8, 12–16, 19–82. ISBN 978-1-84176-371-2.
21. "عملیاتی که امام خمینی(ره) آن را "فتح الفتوح" نامید - تابناک | TABNAK". Tabnak.ir. 2011-11-28. Archived from the original on 2022-09-10. Retrieved 2019-10-03.
22. "عملیات طریق القدس". Archived from the original on September 25, 2021. Retrieved Oct 3, 2019.
23. "عملیات طریق القـدس". Archived from the original on 2016-08-11. Retrieved 2016-06-26.