Atlas of Battles

campaign, Cold War

Operation Dawn 8

Operation Dawn 8 was a campaign fought in 1986 at Al-Faw Peninsula, in what is now Iraq. Its exact site is not recorded; the atlas places it at Al-Faw Peninsula. It was part of the Iran–Iraq War, which ran from 1980 to 1988. The recorded result: Iranian victory.

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Fought1986
WhereAl-Faw Peninsula, Iraq29.974N, 48.464E, placed at the location, approximate
OutcomeIranian victory
BelligerentsBa'athist IraqagainstIran
Part ofIran–Iraq War1980 to 1988

Where it sits in the Iran–Iraq War

Battle of Khorramshahr, 1980Operation Kaman 99, 1980Operation Scorch Sword, 1980Operation Dezful, 1980Siege of Abadan, 1980Operation Morvarid, 1980Battle of Dezful, 1981Attack on H3, 1981Bombing of Dowletu Prison, 1981Operation Samen-ol-A'emeh, 1981Operation Tariq al-Qods, 1981Operation Undeniable Victory, 1982Liberation of Khorramshahr, 1982Operation Beit ol-Moqaddas, 1982Operation Dawn 2, 1983Operation Dawn 3, 1983Operation Dawn 5, 1984Tankers War, 1984Battle of the Marshes, 1984War of the Cities, 1984Operation Badr, 1985chemical attack on Behbahan battalion, 1986Operation Dawn 8, 1986First Battle of al-Faw, 1986Battle of Mehran, 1986Aerial bombardment of the industries of Arak city, 1986Operation Karbala-2, 1986Operation Fath 1, 1986Bombing of Andimeshk, 1986Operation Karbala-4, 1986Aerial bombing of Chavar football ground, 1987Siege of Basra, 1987Operation Nasr 4, 1987Chemical bombing of Sardasht, 1987Operation Earnest Will, 1987Operation Prime Chance, 1987Operation Nimble Archer, 1987Kermanshah park shelter bombing, 1988Operation Ramadan ul-Mubarak, 1988Operation Forty Stars, 1988Operation Mersad, 198819801988Operation Dawn 8, 1986
45 placed engagements of the Iran–Iraq War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date1986 (year precision)
to 1986
PlaceAl-Faw Peninsula, Iraq
29.974N, 48.464E
KindCampaign, Cold War
Territorial changeIran captures the tip of the al-Faw peninsula
StrengthBeginning: 1,000–5,000 troops; Height of battle: 82,000 troops (Three mechanised divisions); 400+ aircraft; 200+ helicoptersBeginning: 22,000–25,000 troops; Height of battle: 133,000 troops; Several tank companies; 70 aircraft; 70+ helicopters
Casualties and losses3,000 killed; 9,000 wounded; 2,105 captured; Destroyed: 74 aircraft; 11 helicopters; 400 tanks; 200 APCs; 500 military vehicles; 20 field artillery pieces; 55 anti-aircraft artillery pieces; 7 fast attack craft; 5 engineering vehicles destroyed; Captured by Iran: 80 tanks; 40 APCs; 250 vehicles; 35 field artillery pieces; 150 anti-aircraft artillery pieces; 3 radars; 34 engineering equipment; Other claims: 10,000 killed (February–March); 40–55 aircraft; 100+ tanks10,000 killed; 25,000 wounded; (10,000 casualties of chemical attacks)
Commanders
  • Maher Abdul Rashid
  • Hisham Sabah al-Fakhri
  • Saadi Toma Abbas
  • Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani
  • Esmaeil Sohrabi
  • Mohsen Rezaei
  • Ali Sayad Shirazi
  • Morteza Ghorbani
  • Husayn Kharrazi
Operation Dawn 8Operation Dawn 8First Battle of al-FawFao LandingSiege of AbadanLiberation of KhorramshahrBattle of KhorramshahrFao LandingSiege of AbadanLiberation of KhorramshahrKuwait CityBehbehanAz AubayrAl JahraAl Ahmadi100 km29.974N, 48.464E
Placed at Al-Faw Peninsula; the exact site is not recorded. with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1986

Operation Dawn 8 is one of 4,429 engagements of the 20th century in the atlas and one of 206 in present-day Iraq.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q6135267, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Operation Dawn 8, revision 1385572530, read 2026-11-15, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.