The 8th Najaf Ashraf Division is one of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps units based in Najafabad, Isfahan Province, and participated in various operations during the Sacred Defense.

At the beginning of the imposed war, combatants from Najafabad spontaneously formed four or five groups and went to the fronts. One 22-person group under the command of Ahmad Kazemi went to the Gulf Garrison in Ahvaz (Montazeran-e Shahadat Base), then to the Mohammadiyeh area of Abadan and the Fiyaziyah front, where they replaced Army forces on the defensive line.

Gradually, more combatants from Najafabad joined Kazemi' s group and formed a battalion that participated in Operation Samen al-A' emeh under his command. During Operation Tariq al-Qods (Azar 1360), two more battalions joined Kazemi' s forces, laying the foundation for an independent brigade. After Operation Tariq al-Qods, the 8th Najaf Ashraf Brigade was officially formed in Azar 1360 under Ahmad Kazemi; most of its forces came from Najafabad, Falavarjan, Qahderijan, Khomeinishahr, and Kashan.⁠[1]

The 8th Najaf Brigade participated in Operation Fath ol-Mobin (Farvardin 1361) west of the Karkheh River with 17 battalions and advanced 22 kilometers through the sand dunes to block the enemy' s rear at Zoleijan Pass and Raqabiyeh.⁠[2] As a result of the performance of the 8th Najaf and 14th Imam Hossein brigades, the enemy' s artillery, along with 15,000 personnel, were captured. In this operation, the 8th Najaf Brigade, despite the intensity of the fighting and heavy casualties, participated in Operation Bayt al-Moqaddas 40 days later.⁠[3]

The 8th Najaf Brigade was under the command of Fath Headquarters during Operation Bayt al-Moqaddas.⁠[4] This headquarters engaged the enemy west of the Karun River⁠[5] and then reached the Ahvaz– Khorramshahr road and the international border with Iraq, which led to the encirclement of Khorramshahr⁠[6] and finally, after the surrender of the enemy forces, Khorramshahr was liberated on 3 Khordad 1361.⁠[7] In this operation, the 8th Najaf Brigade was engaged in battle for 23 days and some of its battalions were reorganized three times.⁠[8]

The 8th Najaf Brigade also participated in Operation Muharram (10 Aban 1361) in southern Dehloran with 11 battalions.⁠[9] On the first night of the operation, the brigade succeeded in capturing Height 290 and liberating 550 square kilometers of occupied Iranian territory and 300 square kilometers of Iraqi territory.⁠[10]

After Operation Muharram, the Najaf Brigade was upgraded to a division⁠[11] and in Bahman 1361 participated in Operation Valfajr Preliminary in the Fakah– Chazabeh axis⁠[12], in Farvardin 1362 in Operation Valfajr 1 in the area from northwestern Fakah to the Hamrin Heights⁠[13], and in Esfand 1362 in Operation Khyber.⁠[14]

After Operation Khyber, the division participated with five infantry battalions and one armored battalion in Operation Badr (Esfand 1363)⁠[15] and then, with four infantry battalions and three support battalions, was the only independent unit among the IRGC units assigned to participate alongside the Army in Operation Qader (Shahrivar 1364).⁠[16] It then participated in the second phase of Operation Valfajr 8 in Bahman of the same year with five battalions.⁠[17] The importance of the 8th Najaf Division' s mission in this operation was to preserve the gains of the first phase, counter the enemy' s heavy and successive counterattacks, and prevent the Ba' athist Army from advancing toward Faw. The division successfully completed this mission with the cooperation of other IRGC forces and, by establishing a defensive line, consolidated the liberated area.⁠[18]

In Operation Karbala 4, the 8th Najaf Division was also a vanguard unit and, on the first night and day of the operation, entered the battle with two frogman battalions and two infantry battalions.⁠[19] About 15 days later, the 8th Najaf Division, as part of Qods Headquarters and alongside other IRGC units, participated in Operation Karbala 5.⁠[20]

After the major Operation Karbala 5, the forces of the 8th Najaf Division remained active until the end of the imposed war: with two infantry battalions, one tank battalion, one mechanized battalion, and five combat-support battalions in Operation Karbala 8 (Farvardin 1366)⁠[21]; with four infantry battalions and two tank and armored-personnel-carrier companies in Operation Nasr 5 (Ordibehesht 1366)⁠[22]; with five infantry battalions and two tank and armored-personnel-carrier companies in Operation Valfajr 10 (Bahman 1366)⁠[23]; and with six infantry battalions and four armored and mechanized companies in Operation Bayt al-Moqaddas 7 (Khordad 1367)⁠[24].

During the Sacred Defense, the forces of the 8th Najaf Division were trained in operational areas. The Maqarr al-Anbiya Garrison in Shushtar was the training center for the division' s combat battalions, and two bases at Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, known as Madani Bases 1 and 2, were the locations of its armored battalions. Madani Base 2 was a large area with a five-story building in its center. This base was the main headquarters of the 8th Najaf Division.⁠[25]

Nine thousand personnel of the 8th Najaf Division were martyred during the Sacred Defense; of these, 2,550 were from Najafabad, 1,700 from Qahderijan and Falavarjan, and 2,300 from Khomeinishahr.⁠[26] Shaban-Ali Zeynali and Majid Kabirzadeh, deputy commanders of the 8th Najaf Division, were among its martyrs.⁠[27]

Ahmad Kazemi commanded the 8th Najaf Division during the Sacred Defense, and from 1361 until the end of the imposed war, the division participated in 23 different operations.⁠[28]

The 8th Najaf Division is currently based in Najafabad, Isfahan, and Brigadier General Mostafa Mohammadi is its commander.⁠[29]