Operation Dawn 6 - Consequences

Consequences

The failure of the attack had been anticipated shortly before the attack had even been launched. The Iraqi defences in the area were too strong. However, the attack had succeeded in drawing away men of the Iraqi army from other sectors, including the area defending the Iranian's ultimate prize near Baghdad, Basra. On the 14th, Operation Khaibar succeeded in capturing Majnoon Island, 40 miles from Basra. The attack was contained through an Iraqi counter-attack with Iraqi reserves, employed in tandem with the use of chemical weapons (mustard gas and Sarin gas).

Strategically, the attack had brought the Iranians within sight of their primary targets, but the Iraqis always held the upper hand against the poor Iranian attacks. In the end, the Iranians had lost thousands, and had only succeeded in capturing relatively worthless land (with the exception of Majnoon Island). After Iran lost all the land and they knew they couldn't win the war anymore, Khomeini accepted the truce. But after Iraq's great successes against Iran, Saddam thought Iraq could still win and he launched a last offensive to try to take Khuzestan. The Iraqis re-entered Iran in the south and advanced 25 kilometres. Iran, however, still had resistance left, and although the Iraqis made gains on Iranian land they failed to break through. So Saddam ordered his troops to withdraw back to the old international border and the eight-year-long war finally ended.