Chaghalvand offensive operation (March 20th, 1980)
The amount of troops concentration, magnitude and the type of units employed and the method of forces application used by Iraq from the very beginning of imposed war extending from Dalamper-daq bordering Turkey to the mouth of Arvand river in the Persian Gulf, substantiated this point that the enemy intended to fully occupy Khuzestan province of Islamic Republic of Iran and immediately establish a puppet government and ultimately separate this province from Islamic Iran's territory.
At the same time they meant to capture advantageous defensive lands in Ham and Kermanshah provinces and seize border heights in Kurdistan and west Azarbayjan to facilitate support for anti-revolutionary groups in the area.
Confronting these vicious objectives of Iraq demanded an approach in accordance with the current situation. Accordingly, mainly after blocking Iraq advancement in the west fronts, small-scale offensive operations were made near the contact lines to seize heights and key terrains.
Chaghalvand heights with its 1118 meter-high peak is the highest peak of the Charmiyan mountain range which is situated along the axis stretching from west of Gilan-e-Gharb to Qasr-e-Shirin and provides the best position for observation and monitoring Gilan-e- Gharb plain, Gilan-e-Gharb axis, Kooh-e-Sefid and Tang-e-Hajian.
To recapture these heights, the headquarter of Kermanshah 81st armor division of the I.R.I army accompanied by some units from Revolutionary Guard Corps present in the region made an offensive operation at dawn on March 17th, 1980and after 48 hours all of the pre-determined objectives were seized by the Islam combatants and the enemy was driven out of region.
Result:
- Chaghalvand heights were captured two hours after the operation and the cleansing operation on the axes was completed before noon, and finally the objective was stabilized. - More than 200 soldiers were killed and wounded and 70 others were captured. - 4 tanks, one vehicle, one crane and an artillery gun and a notable amount of equipment and light weapons were confiscated.
Source
Atlas of Unforgettable Battles (Ground forces operations in eight years of holy defense)
Compilation: Staff Colonel Mojtaba Jafari
Other links:
Religious Democracy vs. Liberal Democracy
Kolineh and Seyyed Sadeq offensive operation (2) (March 6th, 1981)
Tavakol offensive operation (January 10th, 1981)
Kharazm (Zolfaghar strike) offensive operation
Nasr offensive operation (January 5th, 1981)
