Operation Karbala-5 - The Battle

The Battle

Under the code words 'ya-Zahra,' the operation began on the mid-night hours of January 9 with Pasdaran and Basijis attacking the Iraqi defenses south of Fish Lake, effectively overrunning a battalion of Iraqi infantry. Another wave of Iranians crossed the lake by boat and landed on the western shores, where they made a desperate charge for the Shatt al-Arab river. Instead, they faced a counterattack by several brigades of the Republican Guard, resulting in heavy casualties on both sides. After the southern thrust captured the poorly defended town of Duayji, the Iranians spent the days of the 9th and 10th overrunning two of the five Iraqi defense lines, reportedly using dug-in Iraqi tank turrets to shell Basra and other fortifications.

On January 14, Iraqi Border Guards found themselves nearly cut off in the third line of trenches by Iranian forces moving in on both flanks. Air and artillery attacks lacked proper effect as the marshes absorbed the impact of shells and rockets. After fierce fighting, they withdrew across the Jasim river on the 17th, giving the Iranians the cue to charge south towards the Shatt. They were successful in taking a small island in the Shatt. However, the Iraqis managed to repulse the capture of the island by moving in from the south on land. In the following days, the Iranians managed secure a bridgehead six miles inside Iraq along the shore lines.

By January 22, the Iranians were within twelve kilometers of Basra. The battle turned into a stalemate at this point. The Iraqis suddenly found themselves on the outer perimeters of Basra, whereas the Iranians were close enough to see the eastern buildings of the city. Artillery and medium range missiles created frequent and heavy bombardments. So heavy, that the Iraqi forces had to evacuate much of the civilian population to northern Iraq.

The situation had deteriorated so badly that President Saddam Hussein chose to make a rare visit to the troops. During his visit Saddam announced a significant shake-up of the chain of command, relieving Maj. Gen. Khalil al-Dhouri of the 3rd Corp and executing several lower-ranking officers due to their poor performance. Maj. Gen. Khalil al-Dhouri was replaced with Lt. Gen. Dhia ul-Din Jamal of the 5th Corps from Northern Iraq. Incidentally, Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani was also visible on the war front, reportedly observing the gains made by Iranian forces.

However, while the Iranians had the fervor to fight, the Iraqis held the upper hand with their arsenal of armor and aircraft. They resorted to bombing Iranian supply routes with chemical weapons to thwart the reinforcement process. The Iraqis even bombed Iranian cities, including Tehran, Isfahan, and Qom as a form of counterattack. It is believed that some 3,000 Iranian civilians were killed in these attacks. Iran retaliated by firing eleven long-range missiles further into Iraqi territory, continually inflicting heavy casualties among civilians and killing at least 300.

By the fourth week of the offensive, Iran effectively held Fish Lake, the Umm al-Tawil islands, the Jasim River, and Duayji. Despite these achievements, the majority of Iranian forces were spent. Iraqi artillery and mortar fire zeroed in on Iranian re-supply routes, hindering the progress of the advancing forces. The Iranians took refuge in whatever dugouts they could afford.

The Iraqi Republican Guard took the initiative with a counterattack on January 28. Using waves of tanks, artillery, and helicopter gunships, the Iraqi Third Army Corps assaulted the Iranians on the western side of Fish Lake before turning south towards Jasim. Artillery effectively pounded Iranian re-supply and reinforcement routes. These bombardments, along with the advancing Iraqi armor into the battle zone, created a pincher movement that effectively crushed the hard-fought salient by February 7.