Editing Iran–Iraq War (section)

====Battle of the Marshes====
{{Main|Battle of the Marshes|Operation Dawn 5|Operation Dawn 6|Operation Kheibar}}

[[File:Murdered Iraqi POW 2.jpg|thumb|upright=1|An Iraqi POW who was shot by Iranian troops after they conquered the Iraqi Majnoon oil field in October 1984]]

By 1984, the Iranian ground forces were reorganised well enough for the Revolutionary Guard to start [[Operation Kheibar]],<ref name=aboulenein12_dawn3 /><ref name=cooper03_205 /> which lasted from 24 February to 19 March.<ref name=bulloch89 />{{rp|171|date=November 2012}} On 15 February 1984, the Iranians began launching attacks against the central section of the front, where the Second Iraqi Army Corps was deployed: 250,000 Iraqis faced 250,000 Iranians.<ref name=efraimkarsh /> The goal of this new major offensive was the capture of Basra-Baghdad Highway, cutting off Basra from Baghdad and setting the stage for an eventual attack upon the city. The Iraqi high command had assumed that the [[marshlands]] above Basra were natural barriers to attack, and had not reinforced them. The marshes negated Iraq's advantage in armour, and absorbed artillery rounds and bombs.<ref name="Farrokh 03" /> Prior to the attack, Iranian [[commandos]] on helicopters had landed behind Iraqi lines and destroyed Iraqi artillery. Iran launched two preliminary attacks prior to the main offensive, [[Operation Dawn 5]] and [[Operation Dawn 6|Dawn 6]].<ref name="aboulenein12_dawn3" />

[[Operation Kheibar]] began on 24 February with Iranian infantrymen crossing the [[Hawizeh Marshes]] using motorboats and transport helicopters in an [[amphibious assault]].<ref name="Farrokh 03" /> The Iranians attacked the vital oil-producing [[Majnoon Island]] by landing troops via helicopters onto the islands and severing communication between Amareh and Basra.<ref name=cooper03_205>{{cite web|url=http://www.acig.org/artman/publish/article_205.shtml|author=Thomas Coper and Farzad Bishop|title=Persian Gulf War, 1980–1988: The Mother of All Build-Ups|date=9 September 2003|work=Arabian Peninsula and Persian Gulf Database|publisher=Air Combat Information Group|access-date=9 September 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131115022800/http://www.acig.org/artman/publish/article_205.shtml|archive-date=15 November 2013|url-status=usurped}}</ref> They then continued the attack towards [[al-Qurnah|Qurna]].<ref name="Farrokh 03" /> By 27 February, they had captured the island, but suffered catastrophic helicopter losses to the [[Iraqi Air Force|IrAF]]. On that day, a massive array of Iranian helicopters transporting Pasdaran troops were intercepted by Iraqi combat aircraft ([[Mikoyan|MiGs]], Mirages and Sukhois). In what was essentially an aerial slaughter, Iraqi jets shot down 49 of the 50 Iranian helicopters.<ref name="Farrokh 03" /> At times, fighting took place in waters over {{convert|2|m|ft|abbr=on}} deep. Iraq ran live [[electrical cables]] through the water, electrocuting numerous Iranian troops and then displaying their corpses on state television.<ref name="aboulenein12_dawn3" />

By 29 February, the Iranians had reached the outskirts of Qurna and were closing in on the [[Highway 8 (Iraq)|Baghdad–Basra highway]].<ref name="Farrokh 03" /> They had broken out of the marshes and returned to open terrain, where they were confronted by Iraqi artillery, tanks, air power, and [[mustard gas]]. 1,200 Iranian soldiers were killed in the counter-attack. The Iranians retreated back to the marshes, though they still held onto them along with Majnoon Island.<ref name="Farrokh 03" /><ref name=efraimkarsh />{{rp|44}}

[[File:152 mm howitzer D-20 belong to Military of Iran.jpg|thumb|Iranians firing a 152mm D-20 howitzer]]
The Battle of the Marshes saw an Iraqi defence that had been under continuous strain since 15 February. They were relieved by their use of chemical weapons and [[Defence in depth|defence-in-depth]], where they layered defensive lines: even if the Iranians broke through the first line, they were usually unable to break through the second due to exhaustion and heavy losses.<ref name=bulloch89 />{{rp|171|date=November 2012}} They largely relied on [[Mi-24]] Hind to "hunt" the Iranians in the marshes.<ref name="Farrokh 03" /> At least 20,000 Iranians were killed in the marsh battles.<ref name="aboulenein12_dawn3" /> Iran used the marshes as a springboard for future attacks/infiltrations.<ref name="Farrokh 03" />

Four years into the war, the human cost to Iran had been 170,000 combat fatalities and 340,000 wounded. Iraqi combat fatalities were estimated at 80,000 with 150,000 wounded.<ref name="Farrokh 03" />

{{anchor|1984: 'Tanker War' in Persian Gulf|Persian Gulf tanker war}}