Ashura unit

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The Ashura unit ( Persian نیروی عاشوراءnirou-e-Ashura ) also known as Ashura-Pasdaran, Ashura-Bataillon, Ashura-Corps or Ashura-Division, is a unit within the Iranian Revolutionary Guard consisting of the members of the Volunteer Militia of the Basitschi-e Mostasafan (Basiji), who are subordinate to them . The name is an allusion to the Shiite funeral festival Ashura , which commemorates the martyrdom of the third Imam Hussain .

Creation and order

During the eight-year Iran-Iraq war created the first Ashura units of mostly young volunteers consisting Basij , the first time in 1982 at the Iranian counter-offensive as deminers in suicide missions were used. The head of the Ashura units during this period was the current commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, Mohammad Ali Jafari . The Ashura units, which have been newly established since 1993, are specifically geared towards suppressing unrest and uprisings at home. Furthermore, in the event of war, the units are prepared for ground and guerrilla operations inside and outside Iran . The crew strength of the Ashura unit is estimated at 17,000 men and women.

literature

  • Bahman Nirumand: war, war, until victory. In: Anja Malanowski (Ed.): Iran-Irak. Rowohlt, Reinbek 1987, ISBN 3-499-12133-6 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Anthony H. Cordesman, Khalid R. Al-Rodhan: The Gulf Military Forces in an Era of Asymmetric War. Iran. (PDF; 4 MB) Center for Strategic and International Studies, 2006, page 77.

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