Iran cmdr says liberation of Khorramshahr disgraced Iraq's Ba'athist army

Tehran, May 23, IRNA - Deputy Commander of Iran's Army for Coordination Affairs Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari described Saturday the May 1982 liberation of Khorramshahr as an operation which made the Iraqi Ba'athist army disgraced. The operation made by the brave Iranian forces to liberate southwestern Iranian city of Khorramshahr showed the Islamic Republic great capabilities to win battles against the enemies, Sayyari said at a local meeting held in Tehran. The city of Khorramshahr in the southwestern province of Khuzestan was liberated from the occupation of the Iraqi army led by the toppled Saddam Hussein in May 24, 1982, thanks to sacrifices of brave Iranian combatants. The courageous Iranian forces through a landmark operation code-named Beit-ul-Moqaddas could recapture that part of the Iranian soil. As Sayyari noted, Beit-ul-Moqaddas operation won as it relied on Islamic principles and also on coordination and coherence among the people. At the meeting in which a number of Army officials were present to review the planning for holding the 40th anniversary of the national Sacred Defense Week slated for next four months, Sayyari urged the military officials to share experiences and achievements gained after the imposed war to the young generation. The theme of the Sacred Defense Week is "We're Strong," the commander said. In related development, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said this morning that liberation of Khorramshahr was the end of the [global] arrogance's big plot. Iraq’s eight years of the imposed war claimed the lives of 230,000 Iranian soldiers and left near 600,000 war-disabled. About 43,000 Iranians were captivated by the Iraqi forces and many others gone missing.