TEHRAN - Remains of 167 Iranians martyred in Iraq’s war against Iran in 1980s- been brought back to the country through the southwestern borders, a military official announced on Tuesday. 

Brigadier General Mohammad Baqerzadeh, the head of committee in charge of searching for those missing in action, said, “On the threshold of martyrdom anniversary of Fatemeh Zahra (the daughter of Prophet Muhammed), January 29, the remains of 167 martyrs of the sacred defense have been brought back to the country.”

According to Mohammad Baqerzadeh, a funeral procession was to be held for the martyrs on Tuesday in the port city of Khoramshahr.

“The bodies of these martyrs have been unearthed by the committee in the southern Iraqi provinces of Basra and Maysan,” the commander stated.

Baqerzadeh added that they had been martyred in military operations of Moharam, Valfajr Moqadamati, the First Valfajr, Kheibar, the Fourth and the Fifth Karbala, the Seventh Beit- ul- Moqadas as well as attacks by the army of the toppled Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.  

Iraq under Saddam Hussein launched war against Iran on September 22, 1980, and captured swathes of Iran’s territory in southwestern and western Iran.

By misusing the situation that had followed the 1979 revolution, Saddam planned to annex the oil-rich Khuzestan province. The war lasted until the summer of 1988.

MJ/PA