8th Najaf Ashraf Armored Division ( fa, لشکر 8 نجف اشرف) is a division of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. It was first officially organized as the 8th Najaf Ashraf Brigade ( fa, تیپ 8 نجف اشرف) during Iran–Iraq War, just after

Operation Samen-ol-A'emeh Operation Samen-ol-A'emeh ( fa, عملیات ثامن‌الائمه "Operation Eighth of the Imams") was an offensive of the Iran–Iraq War between 27–29 September 1981 where Iran broke the Iraqi Siege of Abadan. The operation was carried ...

. Initially, its fighters were mostly from the Najafabad County, Isfahan Province. The brigade was organized and nicknamed " Najaf Ashraf" by Ahmad Kazemi, which was appointed as its commander by Gholam Ali Rashid. Kazemi asked

Mehdi Bakeri Mehdi Bakeri ( fa, مهدی باکری‎; 1954 – 16 March 1985) was an Iranian war hero in the Iran–Iraq War. He graduated in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Tabriz. During the Iranian revolution of 1979 he joined the protes ...

to become his deputy, after which forces from Azarbaijan Province and Zanjan Province also joined the unit. When Bakeri became the commander of the

31st Ashura Division 31st Ashura Division ( fa, لشکر 31 عاشورا) was a division of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. It covers the provinces of East Azarbaijan, West Azarbaijan, and Ardabil. It was first officially organized as the 1st Ashura Brigade ( ...

, these forces joined the latter. Later, forces from Yazd Province also established their own unit, the

18th Al-Ghadir Brigade 18 (eighteen) is the natural number following 17 and preceding 19. In mathematics * Eighteen is a composite number, its divisors being 1, 2, 3, 6 and 9. Three of these divisors (3, 6 and 9) add up to 18, hence 18 is a semiperfect number. ...

, and split from the Najaf Division. With the establishment of the 44th Qamar-e Bani-Hashem Brigade, forces from Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province and Isfahan Province also left the Najaf Division. In Operation Beit-ol-Moqaddas, the Najaf Ashraf Brigade was the unit which first broke into Khorramshahr, capturing thousands of Iraqi soldiers. It was reportedly the first IRGC division to establish an armored unit, using the captured Iraqi armor. The division is also called 8th Najaf Ashraf Armored Division.

Notable members

* Maj.Gen. Ahmad Kazemi (commander) *

Lt. Gen. Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star rank, three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in ...

(deputy) * Dep.Com. Hamid Bakeri (commander) * Brig.Gen

Mohammad Pakpour Mohammad Pakpour ( fa, محمد پاکپور) is a Brigadier-General and Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Ground Forces since 2009. History Mohammad Pakpour was involved with the IRGC at the beginning of the Islamic Revoluti ...

(commander) * Brig.Gen

Mansour Haghdoust Mansour Haghdoust (1962 - 2001) was born in Abadan, Iran. He was one of the first IRGC members to become an acting commander during Iran–Iraq War. After the war he started studying in physics and was granted a PhD in Quantum mechanics from the Un ...

Cpt. Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

Mohsen Hojaji Mohsen Hojaji (12 July 1991 – 9 August 2017) was an Iranian military officer. He served as an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) adviser to the pro-government forces in Syria during the Syrian Civil War. He was captured by Islamic State ...

* Lt. Musa Jamshidian * Lt. Mohammad Javad Ghorbani * Lt. Komeil Ghorbani * Lt. Alireza Nouri * Lt. Hassan Ahmadi * Lt. Pouya Izadi * Lt. Ruhollah Kafizade * Lt. Mohsen Heidari *

Sgt. Sergeant (abbreviated to Sgt. and capitalized when used as a named person's title) is a rank in many uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and other uni ...

Musa Kazemi *

Pvt. A private is a soldier, usually with the lowest rank in many armies. Soldiers with the rank of Private may be conscripts or they may be professional (career) soldiers. The term derives from the medieval term "private soldiers" (a term still u ...

Shir Hossein Hassani

References

Military units and formations of Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution Armored divisions of Iran Isfahan Province {{iran-mil-stub