Editing Iran–Iraq War (section)

====Iran's Kurdistan Operations====

[[File:Chemical weapon1.jpg|thumb|right|An Iranian soldier wearing a gas mask during the war]]

In March 1988, the Iranians carried out Operations [[Operation Dawn 10|Dawn 10]], [[Operation Beit ol-Moqaddas 2|Beit ol-Moqaddas 2]], and [[Operation Zafar 7|Zafar 7]] in [[Iraqi Kurdistan]] with the aim of capturing the city of [[Suleimaniya]] and the [[Darbandikhan Dam]] and the power plant at [[Lake Dukan]], which supplied Iraq with much of its electricity and water.<ref name=brogan89 />{{rp|264|date=November 2012}} Iran hoped that the capture of these areas would bring more favourable terms to the ceasefire agreement.<ref name=Viewpoints /> This infiltration offensive was carried out in conjunction with the [[Peshmerga]]. Iranian airborne commandos landed behind the Iraqi lines and Iranian helicopters hit Iraqi tanks with TOW missiles. The Iraqis were taken by surprise, and Iranian F-5E Tiger fighter jets even damaged the Kirkuk oil refinery.<ref name="Farrokh 03" /> Iraq executed multiple officers for these failures in March–April 1988, including Colonel Jafar Sadeq. Infiltrating the Kurdish mountains, Iran captured the town of Halabja and began to fan out across the province.<ref name="Woods 2010" />

Though the Iranians advanced to within sight of Dukan and captured around {{convert|1040|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}} and 4,000 Iraqis, the offensive failed due to the Iraqi use of chemical warfare.<ref name=brogan89 />{{rp|264|date=November 2012}} The Iraqis launched the deadliest chemical weapons attacks of the war. The Republican Guard launched 700 chemical shells, while the other artillery divisions launched 200–300 chemical shells each, unleashing a chemical cloud over the Iranians, killing or wounding 60% of them, the blow was felt particularly by the Iranian 84th infantry division and 55th paratrooper division. The Iraqi special forces then stopped the remains of the Iranian force.<ref name="Woods 2010" /> In retaliation for Kurdish collaboration with the Iranians, Iraq launched a [[Halabja massacre|massive poison gas attack]] against Kurdish civilians in [[Halabja]], recently taken by the Iranians, killing thousands of civilians. Iran airlifted foreign journalists to the ruined city, and the images of the dead were shown throughout the world, but Western mistrust of Iran and collaboration with Iraq led them to also blame Iran for the attack.<ref name="bbc_onthisday">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/march/16/newsid_4304000/4304853.stm|title=1988: Thousands die in Halabja gas attack|work=On This Day|publisher=BBC|access-date=9 September 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180210230111/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/march/16/newsid_4304000/4304853.stm|archive-date=10 February 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>