Oct 25, 2007 the quds force, the elite unit of irans islamic revolutionary guard corps, provides lethal support to the sunnidominated taliban for use against u. In particular, its schools and faculties, built around the noble sanctuary and within the old city walls, boasted a vibrant academic and scholarly community over many generations. Dempsey told npr he is aware of quds forces history. What are the best resources and books to learn about the. The quds force is the expeditionary arm of the islamic revolutionary guards corps. He led the powerful quds force of the islamic revolutionary guards corps. Because iran isnt capable of fielding a large and modern military that can stand toe to toe with giants like the u. Irans alquds force out of the shadows ali alfoneh aw. Quds meaning and origin of the name quds nameaning. The quds force is a unit in irans islamic revolutionary guard corps irgc specializing in. Apr 16, 2020 the recent visit to iraq by the new quds force commander, esmail qaani, had several purposes.
The answer depends on how the us responds to future tests. Oct 18, 2018 the iranian quds force organizes, equips and finances the 50,000 shia militia in syria that provides the ground troops for the russian and iranian effort to prop up the bashar al assad regime, a. World heritage encyclopedia, the aggregation of the largest online encyclopedias available, and the most. Matthew levitt hizballah and the qods force 2 policy focus 123 the two entities pursue their shared aims against israel and the united states. General petraeus, you should know that i, qassem suleimani. The irgc is responsible for the creation of the qods force, thus, a notable place to begin explaining its origins. Uskowi s is the first book ever that focuses on irans quds force.
Feb 17, 2007 but the quds force is cloaked in secrecy inside iran and is the subject of considerable guesswork from scholars in the united states, who in interviews this week offered estimates of its size. Sep, 2017 the alquds force is the clandestine paramilitary wing of the irgc that specializes in external issues such as foreign missions and provides training and weapons to shia militia groups. Book by former iran official looks at quds force leader, saudi king. The quds force is considered as one of the most powerful security agencies in the middle east. Sep 25, 20 meet the iranian commander pulling strings in syrias war qassem suleimani is the chief of a powerful branch of irans revolutionary guard. Quds force, elite clandestine wing of irans islamic revolutionary guard corps irgc, responsible primarily for its foreign operations. Meet the iranian commander pulling strings in syrias war. The ruh al quds and aldurrat alfakhirah by muhyiddin ibn arabi and r.
Passenger and cargo flights between tehran ika and beirut bey are continuing. The islamic republic of irans sophisticated military unit, the qods force also known as quds force, made headlines on september 29, 2011 with the arrest of mansour arbabsiar, a naturalized u. Its activities have centered on organizing, supporting, and at times leading local forces abroad in ways favorable to the interests of the irgc and irans clerical establishment. Irans revolutionary guards, the al quds force, and other intelligence and paramilitary forces. Ohern is able to capture the irgc, quds force, and hezbollah in a way that is factual and compelling. Jerusalem al quds has played a central educational role throughout its history. Jan 03, 2020 last year, in april, the entire quds force was listed as a foreign terrorism group by the trump administration.
Quds force project gutenberg selfpublishing ebooks. Historical disputes between the two countries still cause friction. Niruye qods, jerusalem force is a special unit of irans army of the guardians of the islamic revolution revolutionary guard. The targeted killing of iranian quds force commander qassem soleimani last week broke an old taboo finally a us president held iran responsible for the proxies it uses to. Jan 03, 2020 soleimanis quds force shored up support for syrian president bashir assad when he looked close to defeat in the civil war raging since 2011 and also helped militiamen defeat islamic state in iraq. Ohern is able to capture the irgc, quds force, and hezbollah in a way that is factual and. The islamic revolutionary guards corps irgc is a product of the iranian revolution of 1979.
I can tell you theres a lot of leaders of the irgc quds force and some of the advisers to the shia militia that have a lot of. For students of this bitter history, the book coauthored by shahir. Ayatollah ruhollah khomeini established the force to protect the islamic order of. It is also groundbreaking arguing that the quds force is organized in a way to outlast the islamic republic of iran. But in iran, many saw him as a largerthanlife hero, particularly within security. Submitted to the faculty of henleyputnam university, this research paper is in partial. Aug 15, 2007 irans revolutionary guards, the al quds force, and other intelligence and paramilitary forces.
It also collects global strategic and military intelligence, possibly having operatives in the united states. The quds force reports directly to the supreme leader of iran, ayatollah khamenei. Iran bomb attack conjures memories of plot to kill saudi. Irans islamic revolutionary guard corps marine corps university. Qassem soleimani leaves a legacy in iraq of more than 100,000 shia militia loyalists and one of his closest advisers, a quds force general who serves as irans. Hizballah and the qods force in irans shadow war with the west. Suleimani took command of the quds force fifteen years ago, and in that time he has sought to reshape the middle east in irans favor, working as a power broker and as a military force. It has been tasked with exporting irans islamic revolution, and is responsible for extraterritorial operations of the revolutionary guard. It has the mission of liberating muslim land, especially alquds, from which it takes its namejerusalem force in english. Jul 28, 2011 the message came from the head of irans elite al quds force, qassem suleimani, and was conveyed by a senior iraqi leader.
The quds force, a special forces unit of the iranian revolutionary guards, was behind the rocket attack against israel on wednesday night. Qaani on january 3 became the chief of irans elite quds force, the overseas operations arm of the irgc, established following the 1979 islamic revolution to defend the countrys theocratic system. The unit is a special force responsible for extraterritorial operations. The army report concluded that the irgcs quds force and its iraqi surrogates were the primary instruments employed by the iranian regime to wage a proxy war against the united states at. Irans revolutionary guards, the al quds force, and other. While uskowis book is very short it does give plenty of historical context for all of the major theatres in the middle east the quds force is engaged in. Mar 10, 2020 the killing by us drone strike of iranian quds force commander qassem soleimani on january 3 has the potential to seriously dent irans malign activity in the middle east and beyond. The quds force was created during the iraniraq war as a special unit from the broader irgc forces. Quds force operations are divided into 8 directories, shown here in different colors. But how long this effect will last is still very much an open question.
The quds force, first formed in the 1980s and picked from the very best of the irgc, is its special branch for operations outside iran. Who was qassem soleimani, irans irgcs quds force leader. Oct 01, 2012 irans revolutionary guard by steven ohern is one of the few books to offer a solid overview of irans antius policy and its machinations. Irans new quds force leader has a long, shadowy history. Under soleimanis leadership, the quds force became an elite military unit and the driving force behind irans axis of resistance. Temperature rising takes its place among the few must read publications on contemporary iran. The qods force has had a long history of supporting hizballahs military, paramilitary, and terrorist activities, providing it with guidance, funding, weapons, intelligence, and logistical support. Jan 02, 2020 general qassem soleimani, the head of general qassem soleimani, the head of irans elite quds force died after a us air raid struck baghdads international airport on friday. Qassem soleimani adviser iraj masjedi has history of. Ayatollah khameneis strategic communication failures led to the assignation of quds commander general soleimani london security policy study, strategic report book 501 by glen segell. Analysts estimate the quds has 10,00020,000 members.
List of wars and battles involving the quds force wikipedia. Niruye qods, jerusalem force is a special forces unit of irans revolutionary guards and is. Quds is the arabic name for jerusalem, officially called international quds day persian. Tehrans quds force key to russian, iranian interests. What is the quds force, the elite iranian military unit. This book presents a thorough historical analysis of the irgc. The quds force alternatively spelled ghods or qods persian. Although the quds force has received a lot of media attention, very little is known about this very powerful and secretive iranian agency. Jan 04, 2020 the man at the center of the story was an iranian american usedcar salesman and texas resident, manssor arbabsiar, who had a cousin high up in the quds force, according to court records and. Jan 11, 2020 throughout his military command of the iranian islamic revolutionary guards corps elite quds force, the late major general qassem soleimani ensured that iran had as its disposal an intricate network of military proxy forces, sympathetic shia islamic faithful, and armed wings of foreign political and religious allies prepared to respond to an american andor israeli military attack. The following is a list of conflicts involving the quds force, part of iran s islamic revolutionary guard corps irgc. The qods force operates training camps for hizballah in lebanons bekaa valley and has reportedly trained more than 3,000 hizballah fighters at irgc. Silinksy is the author of four books oninternational relations. Us links iran to attack in iraq, bbc news, july 2, 2007.
Esmail qaani, is someone who not only desires to kill americans but also boasts about killing americans. It describes concisely and precisely how over the past 40 years the. Irans revolutionary guards has five units including the quds force which is responsible for extraterritorial. Qasem soleimani, is responsible for all of irans military activities secret and public outside of irans borders. Qassem soleimani, iranian major general and commander of the quds force 1997982020, a wing of the islamic revolutionary guard corps irgc responsible for the corps foreign operations. May 28, 2012 ismail ghaani, the deputy head of irans quds force, the arm of the revolutionary guards tasked with overseas operations, said in an interview with the semiofficial isna news agency. In addition, dionisi asserts in his book american hiroshima that the iranian quds force headquarters for.
Nasiris history and information on other alquds force officers killed in combat in iraq provide remarkable insights into the secretive organisation. The book tells the story of how the quds force and its shia militias fought on the three fronts to advance the islamic republics militant interpretation of shia. Qods jerusalem force iranian revolutionary guard corps irgc. Aug 28, 2014 the quds force alternatively spelled ghods or qods persian. While the irgc primarily seeks to defend the regime domestically, the alquds branch seeks to first protect iran from external threats and simultaneously. Aps diplomat fate of the arabian peninsula by unavailable nov 9, 2011 the sufis of andalusia. The qods force serves as irans direct mechanism for projecting power in the greater middle east and. That is a chilling but important contribution in understanding the threats facing us. My study of funeral services in iran for military personnel killed in iraq and syria indicates that at least 40 iranian nationals have been killed in combat in iraq since april 2014.
Syrian army being aided by iranian forces world news the. The quds force reports directly to the supreme leader of. Ayatollah ruhollah khomeini established the force to protect the islamic order of the new iranian government. The quds force maintains and builds contacts with underground islamic militant organizations throughout the arab world. Part of the money is sent in the form of special packages and suitcases carried by the quds forces intelligence protection officers in flights from tehran to lebanon. Qassim suleimani, master of irans intrigue, built a shiite axis of. A military history of iran and its armed forces by steven. Based on reports obtained by the peoples mojahedin organization of iran pmoimek sources from within the islamic revolutionary guards corps irgc, the quds force is continuing to transfer cash to the hezbollah in lebanon. Qassim suleimani, master of irans intrigue, built a shiite.
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