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Operation Forty Stars

Iraqi military operation in the Iran–Iraq War

Field	Value
conflict	Operation Forty Stars
partof	the Iran–Iraq War
image	Operation Chelcheragh (3).gif
date	18 June 1988
place	Mehran County, Iran
territory	PMOI captures Mehran from the Iranian forces
result	MEK/PMOI victory
combatant1	Flag of the People's Mujahedin of Iran.svg PMOI
combatant2	Iran
commander1	Flag of the People's Mujahedin of Iran.svg Massoud Rajavi
commander2	Iran Ruhollah Khomeini
Iran Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani
Iran Ali Shahbazi
strength1	22 PMOI brigades
strength2	16,000 (PMOI claim)
casualties1	PMOI
71 dead (PMOI claim)
240 wounded (PMOI claim)
Thousands dead (Iranian claim)
casualties2	8,000 dead and wounded (PMOI claim)
1,500–3,000 captured
40 tanks
20 APCs
numerous 155mm and 130mm artillery pieces
numerous TOW ATGMs
numerous HAWK SAM batteries, and hundreds of small arms, mortars and machineguns captured

Successful PMOI offensive
Iranian defensive failure

Supported by: Iraq Iran Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani Iran Ali Shahbazi 71 dead (PMOI claim) 240 wounded (PMOI claim) Thousands dead (Iranian claim) 1,500–3,000 captured 40 tanks 20 APCs numerous 155mm and 130mm artillery pieces numerous TOW ATGMs numerous HAWK SAM batteries, and hundreds of small arms, mortars and machineguns captured 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.

In four days, the People's Mujahedin of Iran wiped out a Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps division (11th Amir al-Mo'menin) and a regular army division (16th armored), seizing Mehran and building a bridgehead twelve miles into Iran.

The battle

According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, on the night of Saturday 18 June, the MEK/PMOI launched the operation. By employing 530 ground-attack sorties with fighter aircraft and helicopter gunships, they crushed the Iranian forces in the area around Mehran, killing or wounding 3,500 and destroying a Revolutionary Guard division as well as a regular army division. Finally, the Iranian town of Mehran was captured and occupied by the MEK/PMOI and Iraqi forces. The MEK/PMOI forces captured several heights around the city, and took several supply dumps intact, enough to equip and supply 2 divisions. Booty included many Toyota Land Cruisers.

According to the MEK, Iraqi soldiers did not participate in the operation. Baghdad also said it was not involved in the battle, with Time magazine reporting that "Iraq did claim that its forces had recaptured the oil-rich Majnoun islands east of the Tigris River, where Iranian defenders had been entrenched since 1984."

In June 1988, Tehran radio said Iranian forces had wounded or killed 3,000 Iraqi soldiers. According to the statement and a report by AP News agency, 8,000 Iranians were killed or wounded and more than 1,500 captured in the battle, and about 16,000 Iranians were involved. The Iraqi forces left the area after three days, and the MEK/PMOI forces remained there. Iranian defense forces killed all remaining MEK/PMOI forces inside Iranian territory in Mersad operation. Finally, both sides of the war had officially accepted the ceasefire on 20 July 1988.

Aftermath

It was a severe defeat for the Iranian forces, who lost a large amount of intact equipment, along with many troops killed or captured. Iraq also launched a wide-scale strategic bombing campaign on Iranian population centres and economic targets, setting 10 oil installations and six crude oil production plants in Ahwaz on fire and two pumping stations at Bibi Hakimeh as well as the destruction of other facilities at Gachsaran. Moreover, the bombing campaign included strikes on power stations, natural gas plants and offshore oil facilities.

On 26 July 1988, Iranian forces launched Operation Mersad, and took back Mehran from MEK forces.

References

(21 September 2009). "CORI Research Analysis". CORI.
(4 July 1988). "The Gulf: Fraternal Drubbing".
Piazza, James A.. (October 1994). "The Democratic Islamic Republic of Iran in Exile". Digest of Middle East Studies.
(2015). "The Iran-Iraq War". Harvard University Press.
"The Lessons of Modern War – Volume II: Iran–Iraq War". Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Piazza, James A.. (October 1994). "The Democratic Islamic Republic of Iran in Exile". Digest of Middle East Studies.
(4 July 1988). "The Gulf: Fraternal Drubbing".
Blanche, Ed. (23 June 1988). "Iranian Rebels Withdraw; Iran Claims to Repel Iraqi Assault". Associated Press News.

Info: Wikipedia Source

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