Operation Shining Sun

Last updated

Operation Shining Sun, also known as Operation Sunshine or Operation Aftab, was the first major military operation of the National Liberation Army of Iran, the militant arm of the Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization. The goal of the leftist organization was to overthrow the Khomeini regime.

Contents

Background

Groups Involved

The Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization (MEK or MKO) was originally an anti-Shah student movement founded in 1965. [1] This group was one of a handful of revolutionary organizations that toppled the Shah's government. While the MEK supported the Islamist overthrow of the Shah, the group broke dramatically with the Islamic movement shortly after the Shah's ouster, and, in 1981, went into exile in France. [2] (subscription required) The MEK was expelled by the French government in 1986; [1] [3] the group's expulsion was a condition of a deal between the Chirac administration and Iran that led to the release of French hostages held by Iranian-backed groups in Lebanon. [3] The MEK, also known as the Mojahedin, shifted their base of operations to Iraq, and established a military front, the National Liberation Army of Iran (NLAI), the following year to attack Iranian forces. [1] The NLAI's initial tactics were centered on hit-and-run attacks that prioritized quick strikes and hasty retreats to avoid excessive losses. [1] Because of defections from the Iranian military to the NLAI resulting from NLAI military successes, the NLAI assumed the more military operations they conducted the more Iranian soldiers would defect. So their main military strategy was to conduct frequent operations to increase defections. [4]

NLAI units commenced operations toward the end of 1986, well in advance of the official announcement of the army's establishment in the first half of 1987. The primary objective behind the army's inception was to carry out the overthrow of the Islamic Republic. The NLAI first targeted the Revolutionary Guards and later extended operations against military units. The NLAI viewed the Islamic Republic as agents of oppression. [5]

At the time of Operation Shining Sun's execution, the NLAI's forces reportedly included up to 30,000 trained fighters, who were largely equipped with common Soviet arms that were often augmented with captured battlefield equipment. [2]

Following Operation Shining Sun, Saddam Hussein used NLAI forces to pressure Tehran during the process of peace talks, as the Iraqi army had been withdrawn as a condition to peace talks; Hussein could claim to have ordered full withdrawal while continuing to fund the NLAI. [2] The MEK denies any role in the later suppression of Kurdish and Shiite unrest in Iraq in 1991. [3]

The Iranian forces involved in the battle were primarily elements of the 77th Khorassan Division. This division had recently seen combat in Operation Karbala-6 (1987) and Operation Badr (1985), in addition to its earlier participation in Operation Ramadan (1982). This combined arms infantry division had access to American-made M47 and M48M Patton tanks, Soviet-made BTR-50 armored personnel carriers, and Soviet T-72S tanks.

Region

The Fakkeh region, where the battle took place, is located near the border of Khuzestan province in southwest Iran and Maysan Governorate in southeast Iraq. The region maintains strategic importance due to the presence of the al-Fakkah oil field.

Battle

The NLAI formed fifteen regiments of light infantry and mechanized infantry utilizing small arms and artillery. [1] [6] The Iranian forces of the 77th Infantry Division were composed of light and mechanized infantry utilizing M-47 Pattons, M48M Pattons, BTR-50's, and T-72S's. The battle began on 28 March 1988 when Maryam Rajavi gave the order over the NLAI communications network,"In the glorious memory of the People's Mojahedin martyrs and all the martyrs of the National NLA of Iran...fire!'. [1] The following evening Iranian forces launched a counterattack which NLAI successfully repelled. [6]   There are conflicting accounts regarding the battle's duration, though it is agreed the battle lasted for no longer than 24 hours. [1] [6] [7] The NLAI seized 600 square kilometers of territory from Iran and control of the strategic international Dezful-Amarah highway, west of the city of Shush. [1] [6]

Military analysts at the time doubted the NLAI's claims regarding operational success; some even suggested that the Iraqi army backed the operation, likely providing artillery cover. [2]

The MEK claimed to have caused 3,500 Iranian casualties and captured an additional 417, while only suffering the loss of 123 of its own forces. [6] NLAI forces reportedly seized an extensive suite of weapons, including four US-made M-47 tanks and an M-113 armored personnel carrier. A mobile rocket launcher and five 106 mm guns, in addition to a cache of 750 assault rifles, were also reportedly seized; some weapons were taken for use and the others destroyed. [6]

Role of Women

Following the Iranian Revolution and the subsequent years during the Iran-Iraq war, the rights of Iranian women were heavily suppressed by the Ayatollah Khomeini's government, causing many to turn to the Mojahedin. [8] The MEK was jointly led by Massoud Rajavi and his wife, Maryam, who created a cult personality around themselves. Feminism and allegiance to Rajavis were core parts of the MEK ideology which also drew influence from Islam and Marxism. [3] The relative freedom that women could experience under the MEK ideology was an enticement for female recruits.

Women originally acted as support units, but would eventually take part in operations in women-only brigades following intensive training including providing logistical and tactical support. Operation Shining Sun was the first offensive launched by the NLAI to use women in combat. [8] Their success in the operation led to the merging of the men and women brigades in the following missions: Operation Forty Stars and Operation Eternal Light.

Outcome

Operation Shining Sun served to cement the Mojahedin's legitimacy as a political-militant movement, both in the eyes of the NLAI and the Iranian Government. [1] This operation, which added legitimacy to the insurgency and resulted in thousands of Iranian casualties forced the attention of the Iranian government, as it could no longer deny the offensive capabilities of the Mojahedin. [4] The Iranian Government's shift served to attempt to counter the strategic movement of the NLAI from a guerilla to large-scale force, a movement further reinforced by the NLAI's attack on Mehran (in which the NLAI held Mehran for 3 days) shortly after Operation Shining Sun. [2]

The operational success of Operation Shining Sun in the overrunning of the Fakkeh sector, as well as the participation of women on the side of the NLAI, served to dramatically demoralize Iranian troops. [9] Overall, this operation reflected the growing strength and confidence of the NLAI, who continued their attacks against Iran following this operation.11

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iran–Iraq War</span> 1980–1988 war in West Asia

The Iran–Iraq War, also known as the First Gulf War, was an armed conflict between Iran and Iraq that lasted from September 1980 to August 1988. Active hostilities began with the Iraqi invasion of Iran and lasted for eight years, until the acceptance of United Nations Security Council Resolution 598 by both sides. Iraq's primary rationale for the attack against Iran cited the need to prevent Ruhollah Khomeini—who had spearheaded the Iranian Revolution in 1979—from exporting the new Iranian ideology to Iraq. There were also fears among the Iraqi leadership of Saddam Hussein that Iran, a theocratic state with a population predominantly composed of Shia Muslims, would exploit sectarian tensions in Iraq by rallying Iraq's Shia majority against the Baʽathist government, which was officially secular and dominated by Sunni Muslims. Iraq also wished to replace Iran as the power player in the Persian Gulf, which was not seen as an achievable objective prior to the Islamic Revolution because of Pahlavi Iran's economic and military superiority as well as its close relationships with the United States and Israel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran</span> Political party in Iran

The People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI), also known as Mojahedin-e-Khalq (MEK) or Mojahedin-e-Khalq Organization (MKO), is an Iranian dissident organization that was previously armed but has now transitioned primarily into a political advocacy group. Its headquarters are currently in Albania. The group's ideology is rooted in "Islam with revolutionary Marxism," but after the Iranian Revolution became about overthrowing the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran and installing its own government. At one point the MEK was Iran's "largest and most active armed dissident group," and it is still sometimes presented by Western political backers as a major Iranian opposition group, but it is also deeply unpopular today within Iran, largely due to its siding with Iraq in the Iran–Iraq War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Council of Resistance of Iran</span> Political alliance aiming to establish a democratic, secular Iranian republic

The National Council of Resistance of Iran is an Iranian political organization based in France and Albania and was founded by Massoud Rajavi and Abolhassan Banisadr. The organization is a political coalition calling to overthrow the Islamic Republic of Iran. The coalition is made up of different Iranian dissident groups, with its main member being the People's Mujahedin of Iran (MEK). It is currently led by Maryam Rajavi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maryam Rajavi</span> Iranian opposition leader (born 1953)

Maryam Rajavi is an Iranian dissident politician and the leader of the People's Mujahedin of Iran (MEK), an organization advocating the overthrow of the Iranian government, and president-elect of its National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI). She is married to Massoud Rajavi, who is the co-leader of MEK.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Massoud Rajavi</span> Iranian political activist (born 1948)

Massoud Rajavi became the leader of the People's Mujahedin of Iran (MEK) in 1979. In 1985, he married Maryam Rajavi, who became the co-leader of the MEK. After leaving Iran in 1981, he resided in France and Iraq. He disappeared shortly before the 2003 invasion of Iraq and it is not known whether he is still alive. This has left Maryam Rajavi as the public face of the MEK.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Operation Mersad</span> Iranian military operation in the Iran–Iraq War

Operation Forough Javidan and Operation Mersad were among the last major military operations of the Iran–Iraq War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kazem Rajavi</span> Iranian politician (1934–1990)

Kazem Radjavi was an Iranian university professor known for his work as a human rights advocate. He was also the elder brother of Iranian Mujahedin leader Massoud Rajavi. When, in 1971, Massoud Rajavi was arrested and sentenced to death, Kazem Rajavi managed to prevent the execution by forming an international campaign and changing the verdict to life imprisonment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1991 Iraqi uprisings</span> Anti-government uprisings in Baathist Iraq

The 1991 Iraqi uprisings were ethnic and religious uprisings against Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq that were led by Shi'ites and Kurds. The uprisings lasted from March to April 1991 after a ceasefire following the end of the Gulf War. The mostly uncoordinated insurgency was fueled by the perception that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein had become vulnerable to regime change. This perception of weakness was largely the result of the outcome of the Iran–Iraq War and the Gulf War, both of which occurred within a single decade and devastated the population and economy of Iraq.

Camp Ashraf or Ashraf City was a camp in Iraq's Diyala Governorate, having the character of a small city with all basic infrastructure, and headquarters of the People's Mujahedin of Iran (PMOI/MEK). The population used to be around 3,400 in 2012, but in 2013 nearly all were relocated to Camp Liberty near Baghdad International Airport after pressure by then-prime minister Nouri al-Maliki's office.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ali Sayad Shirazi</span> Iranian military general (1944–1999)

Ali Sayyad Shirazi was an Iranian military officer. He served as commander of the Iranian Ground Forces during the Iran–Iraq War and was a key military figure during the war. He was assassinated by Mojahedin-e Khalq in 1999 while serving as the deputy chief of the Iranian Armed Forces General Staff.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Organization of Struggle for the Emancipation of the Working Class</span> Political faction in Iran (1975–1983)

The Organization of Struggle for the Emancipation of the Working Class, or simply Peykar, also known by the earlier name Marxist Mojahedin, was a splinter group from the People's Mojahedin of Iran (PMOI/MEK).

Operation Forty Stars, also known as Operation Forty Lights, or Chelcheraq, was a military operation conducted by the People's Mujahedin of Iran (MEK) at the closing stages of the Iran–Iraq War on 18 June 1988. The goal was to occupy the Iranian border city of Mehran to control its oil fields, as well as Kurdish villages in the region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Organization of Iranian American Communities</span> Anti-Iranian government advocacy group

The Organization of Iranian American Communities (OIAC) is an organization in the United States.

Lt. Colonel Lewis Lee Hawkins was a United States military aide to Iran who was assassinated. Vahid Afrakhteh, a member of the Mojahedin M.L. (Marxist–Leninist) and later a founding member of Peykar, was captured and confessed to the assassination. Some sources attribute the assassination to the People's Mujahedin of Iran.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Assassination of Paul R. Shaffer and John H. Turner</span> 1975 murders in Tehran, Iran

Colonel Paul R. Shaffer (1930–1975) was a United States military aide to Iran who served as an air force pilot in both Korea and Vietnam. In 1975, he was assassinated along with Lieutenant Colonel Jack H. Turner. Vahid Afrakhteh, a founding member of Peykar, confessed to the killing and later was executed. Nevertheless, some sources have said the People's Mujahedin of Iran (MEK) was responsible.

Tanks have been utilized in Iran both within the military and within several conflicts with their usage and origin after World War II; the Cold War; and the modern era. This includes British designs imported after World War II, and American and imported Soviet tanks and those from China as well.

<i>Radical Islam: The Iranian Mojahedin</i> 1989 book on Iranian politics by Ervand Abrahamian

Radical Islam: The Iranian Mojahedin is a book by historian Ervand Abrahamian about the late 20th-century political history of Iran, and a thorough case study of the People's Mujahedin of Iran (MEK). The book also includes a short biography of Ali Shariati and a review of his works in order to explore the influence this had on the group's early ideological traits. The book was a duplicate publication by I.B. Tauris and by Yale University Press, being first published by the former in 1989 in the United Kingdom. It is widely regarded as an important academic source on the MEK.

Ronen A. Cohen is an Israeli scholar of Middle Eastern studies. He is an associate professor at Ariel University, and heads both its Middle Eastern & Central Asian Studies (MECAS) center and Department of Middle Eastern and Political Science Studies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pouran Bazargan</span> Iranian activist (1937–2007)

Pourandokht "Pouran" Bazargan was an Iranian teacher, revolutionary and translator. She was notably the first female member of the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (MEK).

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Cohen, Ronen A. 2021. "The Mojahedin-e Khalq's Utilization of Karbala's Ethos and the Creation of an Ex-Patriot Nationalism." Middle Eastern Studies 58 (4): 636–48. doi : 10.1080/00263206.2021.1962305.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Reuters and Chicago Sun-Times (IL). 1998. "Rebels Rate as Wild Card in Gulf Future." Infoweb.Newsbank.Com. July 30, 1998. Accessed April 23, 2023 .
  3. 1 2 3 4 Masters, Jonathan. 2014. "Mujahadeen-e-Khalq (MEK)." Council on Foreign Relations, July 28, 2014. Accessed April 23, 2023.
  4. 1 2 Cohen, Ronen A. 2018. "The Mojahedin-e Khalq versus the Islamic Republic of Iran: From War to Propaganda and the War on Propaganda and Diplomacy." Middle Eastern Studies 54 (6): 1000–1014. doi : 10.1080/00263206.2018.1478813.
  5. ↑ Cohen, Ronen (2008). The Rise and Fall of the Mojahedin Khalq, 1987-1997: Their Survival after the Islamic Revolution and Resistance to the Islamic Republic of Iran. Liverpool University Press. p. 1.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Operation Shining Sun." n.d. Iran-e-Azad.Org. The authors of the page acknowledge that the source is biased but is one of few sources available can provide information regarding battle logistics.
  7. ↑ "CORI: People's Mujahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI)" (PDF). 21 September 2009.
  8. 1 2 Sharhi, Sorayya. "Women in Command: A successful Experience in the National Liberation Army of Iran." In Woman, War, and Resistance: Frontline Feminisms, edited by Jennifer Rycenga and Margueritte R. Waller, 183-190 New York: Routledge, 2001.
  9. ↑ Buchan, James. Days of God: The Revolution in Iran and Its Consequences. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2012.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.