| Liberation of Khorramshahr | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Iran–Iraq War | |||||||||
 Iraqi prisoners of war | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
 Iraq |
 Iran | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
| Unknown |
Hossein Kharrazi | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
| 70,000 | 70,000 | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
|
16,000 killed or wounded 19,000 captured | 10,000 killed or wounded | ||||||||
| |||||
The Liberation of Khorramshahr was the Iranian recapture of the port city of Khorramshahr from the Iraqis on May 24, 1982 during the Iran–Iraq War. The Iraqis had captured the city early in the war on October 26, 1980. The successful retaking of the city was part of Operation Beit ol-Moqaddas. It is perceived as a turning point in the war and the liberation is celebrated in Iran on its anniversary, 24 May.
The battle[]
The city remained in Iraqi hands until April 1982, when the Iranians launched Operation Beit ol-Moqaddas to recapture the Khuzestan province. The first attack (from April 24 to May 12) utilized approximately 70,000 army troops and Pasdaran (members of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) that succeeded in pushing the Iraqi forces out of the Ahvaz-Susangerd area. The Iraqis withdrew back to Khorramshahr and, on May 20, launched an unsuccessful counterattack against the Iranians. An all-out assault on Khorramshahr was then launched by Iran, which captured two of defense lines in the Pol-e No and Shalamcheh region. The Iranians gathered around the Shatt al-Arab (known as Arvand Rud in Iran) waterway, surrounded the city and began a second siege. The Iranians finally recaptured the city on May 24 after two days of bitter fighting.
Aftermath[]
In re-taking the city, the Iranians captured approximately 19,000 soldiers from a demoralized Iraqi Army. On the other hand, Saddam Hussein was shocked and infuriated by the defeat in Khorramshahr, ordering the execution of a number of top Iraqi officers responsible for the defense of the city.
Iranians celebrate the anniversary of Liberation of Khorramshahr every year.
See also[]
- Karun River
References[]
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The original article can be found at Liberation of Khorramshahr and the edit history here.