Iran Gains Control of Key Ridge
A combined Iranian force of army troops, Revolutionary Guards and mostly young volunteers has gained control of a strategic ridge just inside Iraq after a four-year battle for the area.
The Iranian victory puts the Iraqi city of Qala Diza and the power station at nearby Dukan Dam within striking distance of Iranian artillery, Iranian commanders told visiting reporters on Sunday.
The final thrust to rout Iraqi forces from the Dopaza ridge and neighboring Dopaza peak took place 17 days ago, after troops regained Iraqi-held Iranian territory.
The ridge covers only a fraction of the northwestern section of the 720-mile front with Iraq. However, on the heels of unsuccessful assaults on the port city of Basra in southwestern Iraq earlier this year, Iranian officials hailed the ridge’s capture as a key victory.
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