Global Information17th Ali ibn Abi Taleb Division information
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| 17th Ali ibn Abi Taleb Division | |
|---|---|
| لشکر 17 علی ابن ابی طالب | |
| Country |  Islamic Republic of Iran |
| Branch | Basij |
| Type | Infantry |
| Size | Division |
| Part of |  Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps |
| Garrison/HQ | Qom Province |
| Nickname(s) | "Ali ibn Abi Talib" (علی ابن ابی طالب) |
| Engagements | Iran–Iraq War
Syrian Civil War
|
| Commanders | |
| Commander in Chief | Governor-General Mohammad Aghamiri |
| Notable commanders | Mehdi Zeinoddin |
17th Ali ibn Abi Taleb Division (Persian: لشکر 17 علی ابن ابی طالب) was a division of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps during the Iran–Iraq War. It covered Qom, Zanjan, Semnan, and Markazi provinces.[1]
After Operation Tariq-ol-Qods, the 17th Brigade of Qom (تیپ 17 قم) was established in the Shush area. Fighters were from Qom, Mashhad, Behbahan, and Shush. Its commander was initially Morteza Saffari, who later became the deputy of Fajr Headquarters and was replaced by Hassan Darvish. In July or August 1982, the brigade was renamed to 17th Ali ibn Abi Taleb Brigade (تیپ 17 علی ابن ابی طالب). Since then, forces from Zanjan, Semnan, Markazi provinces constituted the bulk of the unit. In the fourth phase of the Operation Ramadan, Mehdi Zeinoddin was appointed as the new commander of the brigade. After Operation Muharram and the expansion of IRGC brigades, this unit was expanded to the 17th Ali ibn Abi Taleb Division. The division proved to be capable during the war. It played a major role in the initial successful stages of Operation Badr. From November 1984 to May 1988, Gholamreza Jaafari was its commander, after whom Mohammad Mirjani commanded the unit for two months. After Operation Dawn 10, commander of IRGC Ground Forces Ali Shamkhani separated and expanded the division into 17th Ali ibn Abi Taleb Division and a new 71st Roohollah Division (لشکر 71 روح الله) of Markazi Province. 12th Qaem Brigade of Semnan (تیپ 12 قائم) and Saheb-ol-Amr Brigade of Zanjan (تیپ صاحبالامر(عج)) were also later separated as new units.[1]
- ^ a b c 17th Ali ibn Abi Taleb Division Archived 2016-08-11 at the Wayback Machine defamoghaddas.ir