8th Najaf Ashraf Division
| 8th Najaf Ashraf Division | |
|---|---|
| لشکر 8 نجف اشرف | |
| Active | 1981–present |
| Country |  Iran |
| Branch |  Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps |
| Type | Infantry, armored |
| Size | Division |
| Garrison/HQ | Isfahan province, Najafabad county |
| Nickname | "Najaf Ashraf" (نجف اشرف) |
| Engagements | |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander | Gen. Seif-o-allah Rashidzade |
| Notable commanders | Ahmad Kazemi Mehdi Bakeri (deputy) Hamid Bakeri Mohammad Pakpour Mohammad Taghi Amini |
8th Najaf Ashraf Armored Division (Persian: لشکر 8 نجف اشرف) is a division of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.[1] The 8th Najaf Ashraf Division of the IRGC Ground Force is currently headquartered in Najafabad, Isfahan, with Mustafa Mohammadi appointed as its new commander.[2]
It was first officially organized as the 8th Najaf Ashraf Brigade (Persian: تیپ 8 نجف اشرف) during Iran–Iraq War, just after Operation Samen-ol-A'emeh. Initially, the soldiers of the division were mostly from the Najafabad County, Isfahan province.[3][4] The division was organized and nicknamed "Najaf Ashraf" by Ahmad Kazemi,[5] which was appointed as its commander by Gholam Ali Rashid. Kazemi asked Mehdi Bakeri to become his deputy, after which units from Azarbaijan Province and Zanjan province also joined the unit. When Bakeri became the commander of the 31st Ashura Division, these brigades joined the latter. Later, the brigades from Yazd province also established their own unit, the 18th Al-Ghadir Brigade, and split from the Najaf Division. With the establishment of the 44th Qamar-e Bani-Hashem Brigade, forces from Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province and Isfahan province also left the Najaf Division.[6][7]
In Operation Beit-ol-Moqaddas, the Najaf Ashraf Division was the unit which first broke into Khorramshahr, capturing thousands of Iraqi soldiers.[8][9]
It was reportedly the first IRGC division to establish an armored unit, using captured Iraqi armor.[6] The division is also called 8th Najaf Ashraf Armored Division.
Notable commanders
[edit]- Maj.Gen. Ahmad Kazemi (commander)
- Lt. Gen. Mehdi Bakeri (deputy)
- Brig.Gen Mohammad Pakpour (commander)
- Brig.Gen Mansour Haghdoust
- Cpt. Mohsen Hojaji
References
[edit]- ^ What did the Najaf Ashraf army do in the war? لشکر نجف اشرف در جنگ چه کرد؟
- ^ Appointment of new commander of the Eighth Division of Najaf Ashraf انتصاب فرمانده جدید لشکر هشت نجف اشرف
- ^ More than 22 operations were carried out during the Holy Defense period in the 8th Division of Najaf Ashraf اجرای بیش از ۲۲ عملیات در دوران دفاع مقدس در لشگر ۸ نجف اشرف
- ^ The 8th Division of Najaf Ashraf has more than 9 thousand martyrs لشکر 8 نجف اشرف، بیش از 9 هزار شهید دارد
- ^ History of the 8th Division of Najaf Ashraf + Profiles of the commanders تاریخچه لشکر ۸ نجف اشرف +مشخصات فرماندهان
- ^ a b "Division 8 Najaf : How was formed". Sahebnews.ir. 2016-10-16. Retrieved 2016-11-16.
- ^ چاپلینک ثابتسطح یگان; یگان مستقل. "لشکر 8 نجف | دفاع‌مقدس". Defamoghaddas.ir (in Persian). Archived from the original on 2016-11-05. Retrieved 2016-11-16.
- ^ Who was the first commander to set foot in liberated Khorramshahr? اولین فرماندهی که پا به خرمشهر آزادشده گذاشت که بود؟
- ^ "Hajj Ahmad Kazemi"; The first messenger of the news of the victory of Khorramshahr + Audio «حاج احمد کاظمی»؛ اولین قاصد خبر پیروزی خرمشهر + صوت
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