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to Iraq, and established a military front, the
National Liberation Army of Iran (NLAI), the following year to attack Iranian forces. The NLAI's initial tactics were centered on hit-and-run attacks that prioritized quick strikes and hasty retreats to avoid excessive losses. 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.
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The MEK was expelled by the French government in 1986; 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. The MEK, also known as the Mojahedin, shifted their base of operations
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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!'. The following evening Iranian forces launched a counterattack which NLAI successfully repelled. There are conflicting accounts
190:
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. Overall, this operation reflected the growing strength and confidence of the NLAI, who continued
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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. Their success in
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The NLAI formed fifteen regiments of light infantry and mechanized infantry utilizing small arms and artillery. 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
182:
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. This operation, which added legitimacy to the insurgency and resulted in thousands of Iranian casualties forced the attention of the Iranian
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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. 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
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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. The relative freedom that women could experience under the MEK ideology was an enticement for female
67:
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
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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. The MEK denies any role in the later suppression of
Kurdish and Shiite unrest in Iraq in 1991.
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government, as it could no longer deny the offensive capabilities of the Mojahedin. 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
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regarding the battle's duration, though it is agreed the battle lasted for no longer than 24 hours. 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.
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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. The MEK was jointly led by
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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.
55:(MEK or MKO) was originally an anti-Shah student movement founded in 1965. 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
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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.
345:." 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.
103:(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.
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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.
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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."
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The Rise and Fall of the Mojahedin Khalq, 1987-1997: Their Survival after the Islamic Revolution and Resistance to the Islamic Republic of Iran
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Revolutionary Guards and later extended operations against military units. The NLAI viewed the Islamic Republic as agents of oppression.
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59:, the group broke dramatically with the Islamic movement shortly after the Shah's ouster, and, in 1981, went into exile in France.
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Cohen, Ronen A. 2021. "The Mojahedin-e Khalq's Utilization of Karbala's Ethos and the Creation of an Ex-Patriot Nationalism."
34:, the militant arm of the Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization. The goal of the leftist organization was to overthrow the
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Sharhi, Sorayya. "Women in Command: A successful Experience in the National Liberation Army of Iran." In
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Military operations of the Iran–Iraq War involving the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran
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the operation led to the merging of the men and women brigades in the following missions:
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in southeast Iraq. The region maintains strategic importance due to the presence of the
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187:(in which the NLAI held Mehran for 3 days) shortly after Operation Shining Sun.
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The Iranian forces involved in the battle were primarily elements of the
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region, where the battle took place, is located near the border of
258:" Infoweb.Newsbank.Com. July 30, 1998. Accessed April 23, 2023 .
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Days of God: The Revolution in Iran and Its Consequences.
356:"CORI: People's Mujahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI)"
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their attacks against Iran following this operation.
99:(1985), in addition to its earlier participation in
413:Military operations of the Iran–Iraq War in 1988
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376:Woman, War, and Resistance: Frontline Feminisms
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423:History of Khuzestan province
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418:March 1988 events in Asia
276:Mujahadeen-e-Khalq (MEK)
428:Dasht-e Azadegan County
172:Operation Eternal Light
89:77th Khorassan Division
61:(subscription required)
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226:Middle Eastern Studies
343:Operation Shining Sun
316:Cohen, Ronen (2008).
168:Operation Forty Stars
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