Editing Iran–Iraq War (section)

====Dawn Operations====
From early 1983–1984, Iran launched a series of four ''Valfajr'' (Dawn) Operations, that eventually numbered to 10. During [[Operation Dawn (1983)|Operation Dawn-1]], in early February 1983, 50,000 Iranian forces attacked westward from Dezful and were confronted by 55,000 Iraqi forces. The Iranian objective was to cut off the road from Basra to Baghdad in the central sector. The Iraqis carried out 150 air sorties against the Iranians, and even bombed Dezful, Ahvaz, and Khorramshahr in retribution. The Iraqi counterattack was broken up by Iran's 92nd Armoured Division.<ref name="aboulenein12_dawn3" />

[[File:These photograph was taken in 1984 by the Iraqis at Salahedin camp, near Takrit, Iraq.jpg|thumbnail|Iranian [[Prisoner of war|POWs]] in 1983 near [[Tikrit]], Iraq]]

During [[Operation Dawn 2|Operation Dawn-2]], the Iranians directed insurgency operations by [[proxy war|proxy]] in April 1983 by supporting the Kurds in the north. With Kurdish support, the Iranians attacked on 23 July 1983, capturing the Iraqi town of Haj Omran and maintaining it against an Iraqi poison gas counteroffensive.{{citation needed|date=June 2020}} This operation incited Iraq to later conduct indiscriminate chemical attacks against the Kurds.<ref name="aboulenein12_dawn3" /> The Iranians attempted to further exploit activities in the north on 30 July 1983, during [[Operation Dawn-3]]. Iran saw an opportunity to sweep away Iraqi forces controlling the roads between the Iranian mountain border towns of Mehran, [[Dehloran]] and [[Elam]]. Iraq launched airstrikes, and equipped attack helicopters with chemical [[warhead]]s. While ineffective, it demonstrated both the Iraqi general staff's and Saddam's increasing interest in using chemical weapons. In the end, 17,000 had been killed on both sides,{{clarify|date=November 2012|reason=Total or on each side?}} with no gain for either country.<ref name="aboulenein12_dawn3" />

The focus of [[Operation Dawn-4]] in September 1983 was the northern sector in Iranian Kurdistan. Three Iranian regular divisions, the Revolutionary Guard, and [[Kurdistan Democratic Party]] (KDP) elements amassed in [[Marivan]] and [[Sardasht, West Azerbaijan|Sardasht]] in a move to threaten the major Iraqi city [[Suleimaniyah]]. Iran's strategy was to press Kurdish tribes to occupy the Banjuin Valley, which was within {{convert|45|km|mi|abbr=on}} of Suleimaniyah and {{convert|140|km|mi|abbr=on}} from the oilfields of [[Kirkuk]]. To stem the tide, Iraq deployed [[Mi-8]] attack helicopters equipped with chemical weapons and executed 120 sorties against the Iranian force, which stopped them {{convert|15|km|mi|abbr=on}} into Iraqi territory.<ref name="aboulenein12_dawn3" />

5,000 Iranians and 2,500 Iraqis died.<ref name="aboulenein12_dawn3" /> Iran gained {{convert|110|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}} of its territory back in the north, gained {{convert|15|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}} of Iraqi land, and captured 1,800 Iraqi prisoners while Iraq abandoned large quantities of valuable weapons and war [[materiel]] in the field. Iraq responded to these losses by firing a series of SCUD-B missiles into the cities of Dezful, [[Masjid Soleiman]], and [[Behbehan]]. Iran's use of artillery against Basra while the battles in the north raged created multiple fronts, which effectively confused and wore down Iraq.<ref name="aboulenein12_dawn3" />