During each and every occasion, the Iraqis withdrew far enough to the rear to regroup, consolidate, resupply, and re- establish command and control functions. Shortly thereafterward, the Iraqis would then begin a counter- offensive. All too frequently, the Iranian response to these "peace initiatives" was to also withdraw and the Iranian Fundamentalist government would then choose these periods of "peace" as an opportunity to "purge" their senior command staff of commanders not deemed to be faithful enough to "Islamic principals".
Following these "purges" and the subsequent reorganizations, more loyal Shiite commanders were placed into higher levels of the command structure. The resulting overall effect was an eventual diminishment of the combat effectiveness of the Iranian Army. Unfortunately, the "pure" Islamic commanders were less prepared to be effective as combat leaders.
Also during the periods of "withdrawal" and "peace talks", the Iraqi government choose (and was encouraged by several governments selling arms) to obtain better equipment, training, and command and control facilities. In fact, one such occurance, prompted the formulation of the now infamous "Republican Guard". The Iraqi elite force was then used to "fill the breach" of any area overrun by the "human-wave assaults" carried out by the underage, under-equipped, but fanatical Iranian forces.
On numerous occasions during the later part of the war, the Iranians would break through the first layer (and even second layer) of the "Soviet Style Defense-in-Depth", only to be met and `funnelled' into a "killing zone" of pre-registered tank and artillery fire and poison gases. From all appearances, the Iranians appeared "victorious" for a period of time, until meeting the pre-prepared ambuses. Then, tremendous numbers of casualties were encountered by the Iranians.
While, admittedly, the Coalition forces are utilizing an entirely different doctrine of battle which calls for "movement and fire", rather than the the mass assaults of the Iranians; many expert agree that caution should still be urged about the validity of any "reported withdrawal".
Several military strategists and at least one Chicago based analyst suggest that this is the time to "press the attack" and insure that the "Republican Guard" and other elite units are destroyed in place. "Short of a complete `laying down of arms' and surrendering by the Iraqis, the offensive capablility of the Coalition should be intensified and directed towards those units that could regroup and pose a threat of counter-attack", said Clark Staten of the Chicago based Emergency Response and Research Institute. "To do otherwise, is to deny history and the past deceitful actions and words of Saddam Hussein", Staten continued.
"The SCUD attack on the military barracks in Dhaharan yesterday, while Hussein was publically calling for peace, demonstrates the treachery and deceit of the leadership in Baghdad", the author of the "Emergency Response Guide to Terrorism" said. The stategy and tactics of the Coalition forces to date have been exemplary and should be continued until the Iraqis have no significant military capability in the area of operations..to do otherwise, would be to invite future potential threats from Saddam Hussein", Staten concluded.
(c) Emergency Response and Research Institute, 1991
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