One important lesson from the Cold War is that the enemy of my enemy is not necessarily my friend. I feel bad for all the civilians that got caught up in this.
Exactly. We see the same pattern across a lot of our reporting. When so many groups play both sides of these wars, they get worse, last longer, and civilians always suffer.
After high school in 2000, I joined the Marine Corps. A year later, 9/11 happened. President Bush and his administration really hammered on the WMD and chemical weapons Saddam had and my unit was sent in March 2003 looking for these weapons. We got to Baghdad and didn’t find said weapons and my unit was brought back after only 4 months. It felt very fishy that I didn’t serve the purpose I was trained for. Another commenter came down on me for joining and being part of this campaign but (1) I never killed a soul on Iraqi soil and (2) I was a dumb kid out of high school looking to serve my country. But after feeling lied to, I left the service after my four years were up and never looked back. I’ve been looking to learn more about this point in time I was a part of to understand the motives and politics involved. These videos help fill in the gaps to my knowledge of this conflict and I greatly appreciate them.
i was 2 when 9/11 happened so i dont really know what it was like back then but i did have a high school teacher who was in the USMC and was in Iraq for First Battle of Fallujah. he did 4 years and deployed twice in that time and wanted to stay in but could not support being part of another Iraq deployment in addition to the PTSD he had from getting injured from a bomb. dont feel bad about serving your country, i did too with the navy but got a medical discharge within the first year. for me it was a blessing is disguise. i still dearly love this country but do not agree with everything it stands for today. this is not what our founding fathers had envisioned. as far as looking into the motives and the politics, something that has helped me understand it all has been looking into what congress was saying in the official record as well as old news coverage of events. for the deeper meaning follow the money
I can tell you that this video only scratches the surface of the lies and politics behind the scenes. Everything from 9/11 to Afghanistan and the Iraqi invasion were filled with corruption that killed millions in Iraq, Afghanistan and US soldiers who were lied to.
It's messed up how the US government uses young impressionable kids as meat for their conflicts, even the soldiers don't know what they're fighting for, it's crazy
Do not ever feel guilty for serving your country! Thank you for your service. Have you ever watched the Shawn Ryan show on RUclips? If you don’t I think you’d really love it, and it would be so good for you. There is a lot of support for military people, and their mental health. We do the best we can with the what we know at the time. I have no idea why people online want to be so rude and judgmental, but do not listen to it. EVER.
Thank you for your honesty. I know many from the military who have told me exactly what you said as far the military and our government lying to them about the region and why the U.S. was at war. Joining the U.S. Military is no longer about defending our country anymore since we are the ones usually initiating war. I seriously doubt that Saddam Hussein would have imitated war with Iran unless he knew in advance that he had the full support of the U.S. I wouldn’t be surprised if our nation, the U.S., actually approached Saddam and told him to invade Iran. The U.S. has been itching to invade Iran ever since it could no longer buy cheap oil with the puppet king Shah Pahlavi that the U.S. installed in Iran. Unfortunately, Saddam had full support from the U.S. to invade Iran and nobody seemed to care that the illegal chemical weapons were used on Iranian soldiers and the Kurds.. Heartbreaking. I hate all wars and I know these politicians would never send their own children to fight their wars. Of course, once the U.S. used Saddam to fight its proxy war on Iran, they turned on Saddam. Suddenly, our government realizes that Saddam is crazy? Yeah right. We have the best military intelligence in the world so our government always knew Saddam and used him to fight Iran. Glad you realized what really was going on and glad you return safely home and without harming others. Please continue to educate people about your military experience and d about our government because nothing will improve in our government unless we all stand united to improve our government and hopefully stop our government from initiating wars and destroying people and their nations. I would love for that region and other parts of the world to enjoy the peace that the U.S. experiences. We can’t continue to enjoy this peace if our nation continues to get involved in the business of other nations and invading other countries.
This war ruined my childhood and made me an immigrant. I remember bomb shelters, sinister air raid sirens, and anti air craft rounds lighting up the night sky. The announcers voice on the radio. The glass windows that we taped Xs accross. The food coupons. Years later, I'm in Phoenix, AZ, swimming in the pool with my older brother and his college buddies. I see a plane, get out of the pool, get my toy gun, and start shooting at the - in my mind - "Iraqi" plane. I now know why my brother's college friends, many of whom were Iranians, started crying with the sight of a six year old me doing that. It left such a bad taste in everyone's mouth that they threw me a fake birthday several days later and got me the coolest gifts I have been given to this day: He-man, Battlecat, Skeletor, Two-headed dragon, She-ra...
@@johnnyharrisbetter help is a really bad online service, don't risk your reputation promoting them. More when you are deliberately ambiguous, some will believe that you were referring to better help when you mentioned how much having therapy for years helped you.
But I had no way to escape or migrate, and I burned and burned! And then caught up in the ideological illusions of this corrupt government in Iran and the dirty games of American politicians, until today.😢
My dad was in this war on the Iranian side, he told me about how hard it was to be in the frontline during the extreme heat of summer (45°C or 113°F and sometimes even more) while being short of water supplies. I pray for peace for all countries even though our region is full of conflict, let's spread more love towards each other and keep hate for war mongering politicians.
The Middle East needs to change, the thought patterns there are backward and very hostile, only North Korea is worse in this behavior, they are not only hurting themselves but also their neighbors and the rest of the world. Iranians are smart they could be a beacon in the Middle East and an example to follow but tyranny has cast its shadow on this country.
Do you really think only white people have done that before? When we say Western Cultures are civilized, I don’t think anyone in their right mind would be referring to this. And we don’t use one incident to define an entire culture and it’s values. I think everyone watching this who didn’t know about it in the West knows that that was awful and completely at odds with what we find acceptable. It’s also important to remind everyone that it could have been an accident. I completely understand why many are very suspicious of that narrative and that’s totally fair, but it’s not an impossible explanation. It’s not an excuse, it’s still totally unacceptable, and nobody should gotten a metal, that’s for certain. I wouldn’t be surprised if the US did that deliberately, but I also would not be surprised if they made a genuine mistake. That’s all I’m saying. Either way, it’s a travesty and nobody should have been rewarded for it. It’s a career-ending mistake.
@mrmap4875 yes but i don't really remember any other faction doing this tens of thousands miles away from its territory in a war which they are not participating in, shamelessly calling it an accident and then promoting the guy without receiving any difficulties. Do you have any other example of that?
I'm iranian and lived through this war close to Iraqi border in Khuzestan but I learned so much new things that my government hided from me about this war.
As an Iranian and long-time fan of your channel, I wanted to take a moment to thank you for this insightful video on the Iran-Iraq War. It's a conflict that has had such a profound and lasting impact on the Middle East, and I'm grateful that you've brought attention to it. I would also encourage you to consider making more videos that focus on Iran and the complex factors that have shaped the country's present situation. As someone with a deep connection to Iran, I believe there is so much more of the story that deserves to be told. Your ability to provide thoughtful, nuanced analysis on geopolitical issues is truly valuable, and I think exploring Iran in greater depth would be incredibly enlightening for your viewers. Please consider making more content about Iran and the Middle East - it's a region that has had an outsized impact on the world yet is so often misunderstood. Videos like this one are invaluable for fostering greater awareness and understanding. Thank you again for your work. I look forward to seeing what other topics you tackle in the future... keep up the great work! Looking forward to more enlightening videos from you.
I am a Iraqi child of this war and is so sad for what happened to people from both sides, my cousin was killed in the infamous Al-Faw battle 1986 (not mentioned here), my brother served 3 years and survived, my father all 8 and survived (died 2004 from heart attack). Despite all that there are stories where soldiers saved the lives of soldiers from the other side, those are also true heroes imo. Coming from a Christian family Iraq ain't safe still for us, but that's on politicians not on people, I love the country and all my childhood friends.
My dad served for 8 years. Before the war, he was ambitious, energetic, hardworking fella. After the war ended, he came back a totally different person. PTSD, depression and ended up with dying from cancer.
You are exaggerating. There are completely Christian cities in northern Iraq, such as Al-Hamdaniya, Ainkawa, and Al-Qosh, and the Iraqi Minister of Immigration and Displacement is Christian.
As a Kurd I went through several of these wars including the 1996 civil war, and after 13 years of displacement we fled and took a refugee boat to Australia :(
As US politician would say : when it comes to middle east US pretends is like choosing between heart attack and stroke - you don’t want either, but it always chooses both (thanks to weapon manufacturers) I feel bad for the people.
0:49 "being ruled by the Shah, a king that the US and UK had installed in the 50s after covertly overthrowing Iran's DEMOCRATICALLY-ELECTED leader." And, yet, Americans and Brits pat themselves on their backs because of their "freedoms" while their governments and military are invading democratic nations. Evil hypocrites.
I’m kurdish from Kurdistan (northern iraq)….great video as always. Just wanted to point out that the casualties from Kurdistan weren’t between 50-100 thousand, it’s actually estimated that they were around 182,000 casualties, between dead and some missing to this day, we call it the 8 years of Anfal…..basically most villages (around 5000, including our own village) back then were destroyed, people killed, and ofc the halabca genocide too. May all their souls rest in peace. And thank you for the great video keep em up.
@@mason96575 I hope this is a bad joke, but in case it isn't, no. Curds and whey are byproducts of milk in the process of making cheese. Although they sound the same and have a similar spelling, that is coincidental. Kurds are the Kurdish minority people who live in various countries of the Middle East like Iraq, Syria, etc.
The majority of the US Military (Present) have nothing but respect for the Kurds and I wish our leadership would do the same. We should be doing everything within our Powers to establish an independent Kurdistan State which is owed at the very least.
Uno queda con el corazón dolorido al entender cómo fue en realidad esta guerra y qué estaba pasando en aquel momento realmente, cuando las noticias que nos llegaban del conflicto no terminaban aclarando nada. Es una locura vivir así, guerreando, mintiendo y enloqueciendo a los pueblos solo por el poder. Gracias por tu trabajo. Uruguay
Kurds should learn how to act .. they are Helping usa and terrorist destroy Syria now .. why don’t they just accept being part of a country as citizens ..
I was just in Halabja yesterday and cried... I'm visiting Iraq and the country has such a sad history. However in the past 5 weeks, the Iraqis have been so welcoming. So kind. Iraq is safe now and beautiful. Baghdad is such a fun vibrant city and Arabs and Kurds alike have shown me unwavering hospitality 🙏 Inshallah this safety continues
Kurds do not identify themselves as Iraqi but as Kurdistani and they have right to do so because their homeland is split between four countries by the French and British and yet the US follow their footstep. what happens to the Kurds is because of west since 1917. If it was not for us, the Arabs, Turks and Persians could never steal the land of the Kurds.
I was born 3 months after the end of this war and I’ve heard countless stories from my dad who was a tank driver for the Iraqi army and was wounded 3 times. The people didnt want to fight but the leaders forced them into the army and to fight and it was all for nothing. It makes me appreciate my dad even more. Thank you for this video Johnny
At the beginning of the war, many iraqi civilians and even teenagers were forcefully recruited into the army including my dad when he was around 16, he fled to kuwait then jordan, some time later he flew to Sweden (late 80s) and now here i am, a born swedish citizen. the fact that we lost 500 billion dollars and a million lives during the Iraq Iran war. Forward we invaded kuwait and got bombed by like 4 different countries and having 661 imposed sanctions. During this time there was an uprising where up to a hundred thousand died. Going forward we've got the 2003 invasion followed up by a civil war and then ISIS pops up. How unfortunate, Iraq used to be the second richest arab country, our gdp growth was 6-8% per year (world top 10 in growth) I'd say atleast 1 trillion dollars lost due to these conflicts.
Yes They didn't won't to fight because at last they were Muslim and brothers but your leaders made them to fight.if Iran and Iraq didn't fight we could have not seen Palestine crisis 😕
@@ihdiadgdhwbad1 Yes thats the story of many Iraqis. We moved to Jordan in 1995 then migrated to New Zealand in 2000 and onto Australia in 2017. Now im a dual New Zealand and Australian citizen but still feel a connection to my home land even though I left when I was 6 years old and would love to visit one day. Much love to all my fellow Iraqis every where in the world. Muslim or Christian ❤️
My father served in the Iraqi army. Still has several nightmares a week to this day seeing scorched landscapes and desolate areas. I was born exactly 9 months after the war ended :)
I am Iranian born in America. Growing up I would always hear stories from my grandma and family of Iran. Thank you for explaining this. You don’t understand how much it means to me to know what happened and why I can’t visit family I’ve only ever heard stories of. Despite everything It hurts that I can’t see a place my family dearly loves
@@auroraprs9133it's dangerous for Americans to go to Iran right now. Well over a year ago, the state department advised Americans that were in Iran to leave
During the attack on halabja my parents and my relatives were there at that moment they barely escaped from that disaster, every night my father gets nightmares about the day when they fled halabja. At the end as a halabja citizen I appreciate your work and documentary and thank you for mentioning this tragedy.
My mom remembers the Iran-Iraq war very well. She lived in the city of Kermanshah, a major Iranian city near the border with Iraq and one of the most damaged cities during the war. And she was only 8 years old when the war started. My mom told me that schools were closed for most of the years. And one time she was walking near an oil field when Iraqi fighter jets started throwing bombs, and one bomb fell on an oil tank and the oil tank exploded, even though my mom had some distance between her and the Oil tank, the sound from the explosion damaged her ear. When I visited Kermanshah with my mom many years later, when we were crossing by that exact oil field, she explained everything. Everyone in Iran who is older than 45 and lived in the western half of Iran has memories about the Iran Iraq war
@@ciaronsmith4995agree, Iran rules Iraq and the Iraqi people are very happy with this. Also Iraq will become Persia again within a few hundred years. Persia will become the biggest empire again in about 1000/1500 years , we are now taking a break of a few hundred years. But Persians are The smartest people in the world.
My father was born in halabjah, and he was fighting for Kurdistan during this war. But when the war ended, he returned to the town and he saw dead bodies all around the place where he grew up :/
Johnny it’s videos like this that are really important. I consider myself at 40 now a pretty well versed historian but I actually learned a great deal with your video here. Please continue making videos like this. It’s important that we understand these recent conflicts for the purpose of current geopolitical realities. Great job to you and your crew 🙏🏼.
I’m Kurdish my grandpa actually got gassed and my dad when he was a kid used to live in a border city next to Iraq but had to move to a village away from the border crazy to think my family went through all this while I live a comfortable life makes me so grateful for everything I have.
this war didn't shape anything. what Shaped the middle east is CIA/Mossad installing their agents as leaders of all Arab countries. Then if any of them decide to betray the contract they will replace him with another. My Iraqis, My oil, My Dune - USA and their Allies since 1920s.
As an Iraqi, I can't get enough of these videos. Love to see the world what happened to us. And that it is not our father's fault that they were like this, it was because of war. Thankfully, everything is so much better and it's like day and night here, and not because of the "liberation", but because of the ppl who want just to live a normal life, a decent one. Thank you Johnny ❤️ Sorry for the typos, if any.
Lot of people of woke up and don’t believe in the western mainstream propaganda, what damage was done to your country was a disgrace RIP to all the innocent people that lost their lives from an Irish man ☘️
I still remember the Red Alerts when Iraq was bombing Tehran, and we had to go shelter. We lived in Tehran, in some neighborhoods close to the Nuclear Research Lab of University of Tehran, which was a primary Target fro Iraq. My mom's aunt was thrown into a wall by the shockwave when one of the bombs hit the University Stadium near her house.
Jeez man, I'm glad you are OK. We all can hate on the internet but seeing a comment like this really puts in perspective what a small world we actually live in and how really close and interconnected we all really are. Why do we have to fight each other and deal with the consequences for the actions taken by the ones in power. So sad, I wish you and your family well. Sending love from the UK.
Like every heavily youtube marketed product, scammy scummy behavior (kamikoto, raycon, manscaped etc). The irony of a investigative journalist not investigating nor being critical of practices is pathetically hilarious though.
This was a very precise and truthful documentary, summarizing the brutal and devastating Iraq-Iran war involving chemical weapons resulting the loss of a million lives, leaving trauma on many more millions, including me. I lost my childhood living in the city of Ahvaz during the eight years of war
He wasn’t even really a pan-Arab nationalist either. He just used it as a way to legitimize his power. He never actually worked on trying to create a pan-Arab state.
My family is Christian from Basra and lived there throughout the Iran-Iraq war. It was a very difficult time. My uncles were drafted in the Iraqi army and fought for years. One was injured and saw many of his friends die. He is scarred for life and to this day never talks about it. Basra bore the brunt of the war--the city was targeted heavily by Iranian forces. My aunt was a professor at the University of Basra which was right on the border with Iran and said the Iranians would just shell and bomb them regularly. My family fled Iraq after the US war on Iraq in 1991. After that second war, Basra was impossible to live in because of the destroyed infrastructure of the city.
@@sus527 There used to be a substantial community of Chaldean Christians, Assyrian Christians, and Armenian Christians in Basra. They started leaving en masse after the 1991 US war on Iraq and subsequent US embargo. There used to be a neighborhood called "Hayy Armen" (the Armenian quarter). All the Christians churches are still there, but mostly empty now.
@@h.b.7104 interesting cause Basra had hardcore Sunni salafist population that's why they welcomed dawlah during their war now Basra is going throw shiafication after Shia militias war, maybe Saddam had collaborated with them
@@sus527 I don't know. I know Basra definitely controlled now by Shia militias. But I know my family never complained of any kind of discrimination against Christians. Especially in the 1970s to 1990s, they lived securely as Christians. The Iran-Iraq war was a hard time for everyone in the city, and after the 1991 war, when the Shia rebelled against Saddam, he sent his army to Basra to put down the rebellion. His army went door to door in Basra arresting people they found suspicious. When they came to our house, I was a child, but I remember the minute they realized we were Christian, they told us "we know you have nothing to do with this."
@@sus527 Buddy, he from basra in the southern part of Iraq not Mosul, most residents of the city are shia arab, its very far from what Isis control in 2014-2017.
4:20 Greatest sponsor ever, many people watching these are stressed fighting for their opinion or just understanding politics, along with any of their real life personal problems. It’s not a sponsor, it’s a place for people to be happy through out the chaos of this world.
there was a comment here by a guy called wiking something i think that called out the sponsor and that the sponsor are well... kind of a scam. and then i actively saw that comment be banned. Johnny and team, if you value us so much as you have said in previous videos and often thank us for correcting you and calling out when you do something wrong, then dont silence us when we're trying. i understand that you need the money from the sponsor to keep making these videos. But this is pretty underhanded
Lets be honest here. There are people on RUclips that are after Johnny Harris in the name of "calling him out." If you don't like the sponsor don't visiting them. Maybe its working for others. Nobody is forcing anybody from going to the sponsors. You've free will boys.
@@neilnelson7603 We should be able to criticize a sponsor that they choose to advertise. It hurts their bottom line and they know this, hence why they have outright removed any comments from even being able to mention the sponsor's name. If that isn't being anything but non-transparent, I don't know what else it would be called.
There are 54 muslim States, 1,8 Billion Muslims live in them. Guess, in HOW many of them: there is: Democracy, freedom of Speech, Sexuality, Press? Woman rights, a good Economy, Science, and no War, Torture, Dictatorship, Inflation xxxl, Corruption xxxl? EXACTLY! ZERO! What does this tell us, about this Religion?
I dont believe you at all! Conspiracy Theorie! Hahaha! But, there are 54 Muslim States on Earth, In NONE of them, there is: Freedom of Speech, Sexuality, Woman rights, Press. No good Economy, nor Science, but Corruption, Inflation xxxl and War, Torture. Can you explain why? Come on! @@GingerMole
I’m Kurdish I remember my grandpa telling me about his stories in the war about how we was in the mountains for months at a time he said it was one of the most brutal things he has had (he became a mayor after the war and ruled 12k men into war)
This sums it up perfectly and shows the root cause of the deep-seated animosity. The Iranians were actually fighting against a force with full backing from major powers, including money and weapons. This also answers many questions about why many neighboring Arab countries later paid (and are still paying) a huge price for this and why Iraq is in ruins. Iranians have a strong cultural memory and historical consciousness; it is part of their identity.
The arms supplied to Iran by the US, both directly and through Israel and other third countries, was absolutely crucial to Iran's wat effort. Its huge fleet of warplanes and helicopters was completely American made. Its tanks and other armored vehicles were largely British. Iraq's military was mostly of Eastern bloc provenance. Without Western support of Iran the war would have ended in 1982 or 3.
@johngeren1053 Iran bought those weapons prior to revolution. Those parts helped very little during the war. It just kept some planes in the skies for a few more missions. Iranian blood saved Iran, nothing more.
I was part of a group of Iranian military aid workers when we entered the city of Halabja the day after the chemical attack by the Iraqi army. I witnessed tragic scenes that I am not interested in recounting. My colleagues and I had the duty to collect and bury the bodies of the dead and transfer the survivors and the injured to Iran. At the time, I was sixteen years old, and unfortunately, I suffered severe psychological damage, but at that time, I did not realize the depth of the damage to my soul and body. Exactly thirty-two years later, when I was forty-eight years old. The symptoms of acute depression along with nightmares started in me. Every night, I used to walk among the corpses in Halabcheh and see poor children and women who died brutaly . My condition became so bad that I was admitted to a hospital in Holland for a while. The psychiatrist's diagnosis is acute depression and PTSD, and I am still undergoing medication and therapy. I suffer from various diseases, I don't know exactly if these pains and diseases are the effects of being in the vicinity of chemical weapons... I will never forget those killing scenes. Never
As an iraqi I feel sorry for you and for the innocent kurds who died because of the chemical attacks and yes as you said I have watched multiple videos of the aftermath of the attck and its absolutely horrific to watch many people died sleeping and many died on the streets and the people who fled from there they have breathed some of the chemicals and until this day they greatly suffer from it
Hi, Johnny, I'm an Iranian and I grew up during that war, let me tell you, it was scary, food and gasoline were rationed and I lost my friends in that war, I just wanted to thank you for educating your audience about this war, I appreciate the research you put into this.
After the war, Iran and Iraq slowly traded their captive soldiers, and all of them were released. The relations got better overtime, until Iraq opened the border for Iranians to go to Karbala, Najaf, Samara, and Kazemein for religious pilgrimage. That path is still open to this day. This was a considered as a major victory in Iran.
An Assyrian Christian born in Iran. I vividly recall the air defense sirens, home basement shelters, school under ground shelters and streaks of bombs flying through the air at night. This war lasted almost a decade. Ten years of my earliest childhood. Countless lives lost. Wars are horrible.
as a history loving Iranian who follows your videos for years, I thought you had abandoned the videos about middle-east. glad you're at it again. great video.
just to correct you, saddam hussein didnt give up full control of this waterway in 1975 bcs he wasnt even in power that time, he only ruled from 1979 to 2004
@@Amar90so he negotiated the treaty that gave Iran access and then wasn’t happy about it when he got into power? He’s a big time psychopath if that was what happened
For a second time, you have removed my comment criticizing your choice of sponsor. Where is your integrity? Are you afraid of thousands of your fans seeing the truth about the sponsor you accept? Hopefully more people see this comment again: the sponsor has questionable qualifications of their therapists, sold information about their customers and charged unexpected bills on customers due to trapping people with hard-to-cancel subscriptions. You can't even mention the name of the brand sponsoring the video, so YOU KNOW that it is a problematic subject, and yet you agreed to take them on?
I mean, you could be proactive and make a video about scam sponsors and all the YT channels who they pay. I’d watch it, and I’m sure many others would too.
@@protrainingtips Upper Echelon has a great video on the subject. There are others out there as well who have talked about the sponsor and the problems of them.
@@nolaboyy3279 Maybe not assume they are taking ad-money? Upper Echelon doesn't do ad-rolls or sponsorships that he himself hasn't vetted. Often denying most of them for their scams or grey-zone scummy practices. He otherwise relies almost entirely on Patreon support to remain neutral and other neutral or well-meaning sponsors. UE also provides all sources in direct video and in citations. So... follow your own advice and do your research on someone before you label them?
The above aside, direct reply to OP: I have my suspision heavily confirmed by bigger channels on RUclips that the chat system is largely overloaded and broken. Almost every comment is getting shadowbanned in some shape or form if it doesn't immediately pass YT's internal validation scans. longer comments with wording that may be controversial (having known common phrases and words) get ghosted until a deeper scan or select number of test users who do get to see it show favorable interaction. Mostly speculation, but I assure you it is likely on YT's side of things causing it.
First USA removes Iranian democratically elected leader, and replaces him with a dictator, then sends money and weapons to Saddam, and now people wonder why does Iran hate USA?! Damn, thats a real head scratcher aint, it?
As a long-time subscriber of Johnny, I would greatly appreciate it if you could produce a video detailing the Afghan civil war of the 1990s. This conflict stands as one of the most devastating wars in history. ❤
i have taken note, when it comes to fighting there is no permanent allies, just friend with benefits, when it goes sour then comes the gas lighting to switching sides
As a Brit who wants to learn about geopolitics so I can understand truly what is going on, these videos could not be more helpful. Thank you so much for all of these Johnny. Amazing content that explains it all so simply 💙 I wish my best to those involved in all the horrific conflicts across the globe 💙
this is One of Your Best videos Johnny! i thank our Lord for returning my USA Army Son back alive and mostly whole from Iraq. i recall cautioning my Warrior Son about killing too many humans and the grief it would cost Him later in life. Thankfully, He listened and understood. After He hung up the phone.... He went back to killing. He was the Lead Gunner on convoy runs. Explaining that it was mostly a 40mph drive by counter-attack against unseen shooters. 20 to 30 USA military vehicles moving fast after Curfew. i felt bad for my Son that He had to go into another sovereign country to harm. At the direction of terrible decisions by our political leaders. We would never allow other countries to invade the USA. Trully, we are only protected by our kindness to all neighbors. We need them. i need You!❤😊
As an Iraqi thank you for this reconstructing of Iraq-Iran war. This was what kicked everything off that is still ongoing today in middle east. Also, it is the reason why millions on both sides have migrated to other countries to progress in one's life away from wars (my family moved to NZ)
It is Saddam who destroyed Iraq and the sanction after kuwaiti War made Iraq one of the poorest country!!! People could not even buy a simple bread. Now The Shias will never ever in 1 million years accept a sunni Rule!!! He basically destroyed Iraq for sunnis
Even after 36 years of the end of this war in Iran, you can feel the scars of it everywhere. Most streets, avenues, and alleys are named after martyrs. Every middle-aged person has some memories of war; some of them are terrifying, maybe epic, or even funny. The effect of a shortage of everything is still in people's behavior. Most Iranians still buy basic goods in bulk to be ready for a shortage again. A lot of people buy cottages, villas, or land in the countryside to have somewhere to go if a war happens again.
Very sad!!! I pray for calm and peace in Iran watching this video has increased my love for Iran they have gone through a lot this brothers of mine may Allah grant them peace!(I know it's peaceful but what I mean peace in their hearts and calmness from this world!)
alot of my relaives were a part of this war, as my grandpa who fought in northern border of this war for more than 8yrs and even after as mountain infantry officer (still alive but he lost his left eye). what a brutal war.. chemical weapons, teenager soldiers, dropping bombs on civilians and more, but for what? no one won, we all lost and more than 1.5M soldiers died and the stupid borderline never change. at least let us wish the peace to be upon all martyrs💐🕊️🇮🇶🇮🇷
I love how Israel sees Iraq as a much greater threat than Iran so they supplied Iran not knowing that in the future that Iran is actually the greater threat lmao
Iran then was just emerged from a revolution, with domestic instability, so unlikely able to project regional power just like Soviet Union back in 1920s. Israel was right to view Iraq as greater threat than Iran based on Iraq proximity to Levant region, its secular Pan-Arabism dictatorship which has a lot in common with other hostile Arab states, Egypt and Syria.
@muhsein lol Israel just made sure Saddam Hussein is not a threat to them. Also they will make sure Iran is not a threat to them you will see. There has been no empire or regime in history that has been successfull with a hate regime against the Jews or Israel.
I am from Jordan. I remember that my father participated in this war. He was a tank driver, but he survived and returned to Jordan. He died of cancer 8 months ago.
May Allah bless ur father and grant him Jannat al Firdaws, thanks for his service and protecting our countries. I was a tank operator also. Arab brothers ❤🌹
Oh man let Johnny be creative with his videos. Nonetheless the content is always incredible, so he should feel free to create his content as he pleases. I’m just grateful to be able to watch his videos. Prime content 👌
When Saddam Hussain’s Army invaded Iran I was just a little kid and just started second class in elementary school, at the beginning of the waging war no one thought it would be the longest and bloodiest war in our recent history, as the war grew the more soldiers killed or injured or captured by brutal and barbaric Iraqi army and their notorious intelligent service so called ESTEKHBARAT which tortured and abused thousands of Iranian soldiers or volunteers in battlefield, a lot of them very young teenagers, ( in contrast Iranian people and authorities never ever tortured or had any kind of bad behaviour to Iraqi captures, they all had good food nice shelter and even sports facilities) we as children were witnessed a lot of horrible things behind battlefield lines in cities and villages, such as night time bombardments, hearing or seeing missiles and fighter airplanes , all the time war news in national TV special operations…., day time watching the body of war victims in coffins which mentally had a very negative impact on us all made us badly depressed and so on ! When finally war ended in 1988 I became a young man , told you when started I was just a little child ! These bitter memories never go away from our generation till the end of our lives 😢😢
don't need to read further to figure out you're spewing bs, so you're saying that Iran never committed war crimes nor torture of Iraqi POWs? My uncle's friend who was captured in 1984 was tortured so much that when he got back after the prisoners exchange he had 0 sanity left, he died 3 years after getting back to Iraq. After the Battle of busaytin in 1981, which took place in Ahvaz province, and the Iranian forces suffered significant losses, which resulted in the removal of the Iranian armor weapon from the battle, the Iranian forces shot hundreds of Iraqi soldiers who fell into captivity after they ran out of ammunition, contrary to international conventions and conventions, in addition to violations that reached the point of shooting prisoners in captivity cages and in front of the International Red Cross missions that documented these violations .. Among the cases of violations documented by humanitarian organizations was the famous shot of the process of handcuffing a prisoner by his wrists and tying them to two cars driving in the opposite direction until they cut off his limbs, before preparing to shoot him, in an incident that has never happened before in the history of wars. This is just 1 incident in the early years if the war, there are thousands that were well documented throughout the 8 years war, you can lie to yourself with your nonsense but you can't fool anyone else with your lies.
this is a complete lie, Saddam Hussein quite literally put iranian kids into schools who were sent to fight on the frontlines, Iranian children were literally taken from the frontlines, and put into iraqi schools to prepare them for when they go back to Iran,
@@johnnyharrisFun fact: Iran ordered 80 F-14s, but the last one was still being built when the revolution happened. Since the US Government wouldn't give it to the new regime, it was given to the US Navy. Iran also ordered 150 F-16s, but none were delivered.
I'd also like to point out the framing of that event. If Iran is using fighter jets to attack civilian ships in the area, they bear the full responsibility of an aircraft originating from their airspace being shot down. This is literally the human shield tactic we see so often in which they purposefully flew civilian aircrafts through that area to camouflage their Fighter Jets in order to strike civilian targets.
@@lmoore6612 That is some twisted logic. Iran bears the responsibility for an American ship shooting down a civilian aircraft, during a war started by an American ally. Cool beans you're crazy.
If you're so good at the tactics Iranian used in war and know for a fact that it was a meat shield why don't you join the American intelligence services?@@lmoore6612 Here is the truth swallow it: america attacked a civilian target, didn't take responsibility for it and gave the man who committed the act a medal of honor, maybe, just maybe it was an intentional target? But of course you know best that Iran uses a meat shield, civilian life only matters to the USA, no one else Get your raw, unfiltered data from different sources and cross examine them cause the ones you are using are biased based on the type of comment you have on such sensitive matters I'm telling this to you as a friend Peace man
Hi. First off thank you for covering the war and the great video and putting things on the map. Secondly, there are some inaccuracies and context that I feel I should bring to your attention. I'll go chronologically: 1- There were multiple calls for ceasefire and in the beginning, Iran did not accept the initial overtures for ceasefire because it had territory under Iraqi control. The Israeli-Arab wars had shown that after a ceasefire a country could and, as precedent had shown, would keep conquered territory. Although Saddam said he would leave the Iranians wouldn’t believe him. There was a point in 1982 where Iran had recaptured most of its key territory, but as you point out they called for Saddam’s removal. It is a point of debate and counterfactual history today, with critics saying had Iran accepted a ceasefire at that point many lives could have been saved. 2- The chemical weapons and materials for manufacturing them were supplied by Germany, France, UK, Netherlands, and other western European nations not the US. Put this together with US’s intelligence support, USSR weapon supplies and Kuwait and Saudi financial support and you will understand the rhetoric in Iran that it was defending against an unjust war by the world. It has fuelled it’s longstanding distrust of the West and international institutions. 3- Lastly in 1988 the US, apart from shooting an airliner, also attacked Iranian oil installation and infrastructure in the Persian Gulf. And these events directly contributed to Iran’s accept a ceasefire, as they feared direct escalation of US involvement. Given that the US had shot down an airliner they feared there would be no holds barred. Other factors included depleted moral and military resources on both sides and Iran holding all its key previously captured territory. 4- Also, at the risk of nit picking your otherwise well-made video I should add that Iran did not have F-16s. The USS Vincennes claimed it mistook the airliner for an F-4 Phantom. How likely is it that a top of the line US cruiser would mistake a slow 180ft Airbus A300, flying on a known commercial course, for an agile 60ft fighter-bomber? I don’t know, but mistakes happen in war and the ship’s captain got a Legion of Merit for it.
I hesitated to watch this episode as I am a child of the war between Iran and Iraq and I knew it would bring back lots of bad memories. It ruined my childhood and my life. Not only the war but the revolution as well. My father sold all he had to save me and send me out of the country. Separated my family, and made me and many others like me live a life that was not meant to be.
I think it would inspire creators like us ❤️ This is a clever way to edit that type of video: it is more focused and brings more attention to the history, reasons and strategies of wars.
This war changed many life's including me. As an young Iranian, I can say this war changed many lives even for generations after. Thanks for the accuracy it was great❤
Let us not forget the involvement of the United States in the arms sales to Saddam before that war. They indirectly "pushed" him to get into that war, they ignored his usage of chemical weapons as long as it is used against Iran.
Iv been following you for 7 years now !! Your one of my biggest inspirations please reach out if you read this. Kaiora from New Zealand I would love to work with you
HI Johnny, I'm glad you finally covered this. It's a complex issue of a bygone time. I was born in Iranian just after the war, while by brothers lived as kids during it. A few points to add: - The US Supported the coup that brought in Khomeini. Khomeini was in Iraq and the time. Fundementalism was supported as these dudes weren't going to support communism. - The US provided Iraq with Chemical Weapons that were used on both Iran and the the kurds. The conflict was nonsense generated largely by US meddling. Even with the majority of the worlds support, Saddam didn't get what he wanted. It was a lot of ceaseless and meaningless death for nothing.
Two points are neglected: hostage taking by Iranians in the US embassy. Second the bold role of Germany (both west and east) in supplying Iraq with chemical weapons.
My father was in civilwar in iran kurdistan when he was only a high-school boy. He says when he wake up at the morning all of his friends(soldiers) are headless and their head is on their chest... God im 4 years older than he was and i just cant even imagine that...
My father served 7 years during this time as everyone who was of age had to serve compulsory time. He was an AA gunner in the capital of Baghdad and would tell me when Iran F4s would come, they’d fly low and fast, zoom and book tactics that he couldn’t do nothing to as he was using an auto cannon anti-air gun meant for WW2 planes on jets. Apart from these few stories , he never really mentions anything else and I don’t blame him as he must’ve seen some horrific things during the war and I don’t want to remind him or bring it up.
One important lesson from the Cold War is that the enemy of my enemy is not necessarily my friend. I feel bad for all the civilians that got caught up in this.
Thats why a healthy democracy is important
Exactly. We see the same pattern across a lot of our reporting. When so many groups play both sides of these wars, they get worse, last longer, and civilians always suffer.
Disappointing pattern, thanks for the video Johnny, I always enjoy your content ❤
@@johnnyharrisbetter help is a scam
@@SlamboSVVWhat did democracy do for Afghans and Iraqis after US invasion and occupation for the last 20 years?
After high school in 2000, I joined the Marine Corps. A year later, 9/11 happened. President Bush and his administration really hammered on the WMD and chemical weapons Saddam had and my unit was sent in March 2003 looking for these weapons. We got to Baghdad and didn’t find said weapons and my unit was brought back after only 4 months.
It felt very fishy that I didn’t serve the purpose I was trained for. Another commenter came down on me for joining and being part of this campaign but (1) I never killed a soul on Iraqi soil and (2) I was a dumb kid out of high school looking to serve my country. But after feeling lied to, I left the service after my four years were up and never looked back.
I’ve been looking to learn more about this point in time I was a part of to understand the motives and politics involved. These videos help fill in the gaps to my knowledge of this conflict and I greatly appreciate them.
i was 2 when 9/11 happened so i dont really know what it was like back then but i did have a high school teacher who was in the USMC and was in Iraq for First Battle of Fallujah. he did 4 years and deployed twice in that time and wanted to stay in but could not support being part of another Iraq deployment in addition to the PTSD he had from getting injured from a bomb.
dont feel bad about serving your country, i did too with the navy but got a medical discharge within the first year. for me it was a blessing is disguise. i still dearly love this country but do not agree with everything it stands for today. this is not what our founding fathers had envisioned.
as far as looking into the motives and the politics, something that has helped me understand it all has been looking into what congress was saying in the official record as well as old news coverage of events. for the deeper meaning follow the money
I can tell you that this video only scratches the surface of the lies and politics behind the scenes. Everything from 9/11 to Afghanistan and the Iraqi invasion were filled with corruption that killed millions in Iraq, Afghanistan and US soldiers who were lied to.
It's messed up how the US government uses young impressionable kids as meat for their conflicts, even the soldiers don't know what they're fighting for, it's crazy
Do not ever feel guilty for serving your country! Thank you for your service. Have you ever watched the Shawn Ryan show on RUclips? If you don’t I think you’d really love it, and it would be so good for you. There is a lot of support for military people, and their mental health. We do the best we can with the what we know at the time. I have no idea why people online want to be so rude and judgmental, but do not listen to it. EVER.
Thank you for your honesty. I know many from the military who have told me exactly what you said as far the military and our government lying to them about the region and why the U.S. was at war. Joining the U.S. Military is no longer about defending our country anymore since we are the ones usually initiating war. I seriously doubt that Saddam Hussein would have imitated war with Iran unless he knew in advance that he had the full support of the U.S. I wouldn’t be surprised if our nation, the U.S., actually approached Saddam and told him to invade Iran. The U.S. has been itching to invade Iran ever since it could no longer buy cheap oil with the puppet king Shah Pahlavi that the U.S. installed in Iran. Unfortunately, Saddam had full support from the U.S. to invade Iran and nobody seemed to care that the illegal chemical weapons were used on Iranian soldiers and the Kurds.. Heartbreaking. I hate all wars and I know these politicians would never send their own children to fight their wars. Of course, once the U.S. used Saddam to fight its proxy war on Iran, they turned on Saddam. Suddenly, our government realizes that Saddam is crazy? Yeah right. We have the best military intelligence in the world so our government always knew Saddam and used him to fight Iran.
Glad you realized what really was going on and glad you return safely home and without harming others. Please continue to educate people about your military experience and d about our government because nothing will improve in our government unless we all stand united to improve our government and hopefully stop our government from initiating wars and destroying people and their nations. I would love for that region and other parts of the world to enjoy the peace that the U.S. experiences. We can’t continue to enjoy this peace if our nation continues to get involved in the business of other nations and invading other countries.
This war ruined my childhood and made me an immigrant. I remember bomb shelters, sinister air raid sirens, and anti air craft rounds lighting up the night sky. The announcers voice on the radio. The glass windows that we taped Xs accross. The food coupons. Years later, I'm in Phoenix, AZ, swimming in the pool with my older brother and his college buddies. I see a plane, get out of the pool, get my toy gun, and start shooting at the - in my mind - "Iraqi" plane. I now know why my brother's college friends, many of whom were Iranians, started crying with the sight of a six year old me doing that. It left such a bad taste in everyone's mouth that they threw me a fake birthday several days later and got me the coolest gifts I have been given to this day: He-man, Battlecat, Skeletor, Two-headed dragon, She-ra...
Innocent children are always the victims of conflicts.
Thank you for talking about your childhood. People need to know what memories war leaves behind
Thank you for sharing
@@johnnyharrisbetter help is a really bad online service, don't risk your reputation promoting them. More when you are deliberately ambiguous, some will believe that you were referring to better help when you mentioned how much having therapy for years helped you.
But I had no way to escape or migrate, and I burned and burned! And then caught up in the ideological illusions of this corrupt government in Iran and the dirty games of American politicians, until today.😢
@@johnnyharris Thank you for making this video.
My dad was in this war on the Iranian side, he told me about how hard it was to be in the frontline during the extreme heat of summer (45°C or 113°F and sometimes even more) while being short of water supplies.
I pray for peace for all countries even though our region is full of conflict, let's spread more love towards each other and keep hate for war mongering politicians.
@@jimmynorton59 y’all got smoked
Lol, guess what happened to Saddam💀🐭@@fawazjarbo6448
@@fawazjarbo6448In your dreams lol you guys lost 4 wars 😂 🇮🇷💪
The Middle East needs to change, the thought patterns there are backward and very hostile, only North Korea is worse in this behavior, they are not only hurting themselves but also their neighbors and the rest of the world.
Iranians are smart they could be a beacon in the Middle East and an example to follow but tyranny has cast its shadow on this country.
Couldn’t agree more Jimmy!! You are lucky your dad was able to share stories and provide perspective.
Shooting a passenger jet and receiving medal after that is atrocious!
Just whyte ppl things. “Civilized”
And they say why Iranians hate us (however they don't hate them).
Do you really think only white people have done that before?
When we say Western Cultures are civilized, I don’t think anyone in their right mind would be referring to this. And we don’t use one incident to define an entire culture and it’s values. I think everyone watching this who didn’t know about it in the West knows that that was awful and completely at odds with what we find acceptable.
It’s also important to remind everyone that it could have been an accident. I completely understand why many are very suspicious of that narrative and that’s totally fair, but it’s not an impossible explanation. It’s not an excuse, it’s still totally unacceptable, and nobody should gotten a metal, that’s for certain.
I wouldn’t be surprised if the US did that deliberately, but I also would not be surprised if they made a genuine mistake. That’s all I’m saying. Either way, it’s a travesty and nobody should have been rewarded for it. It’s a career-ending mistake.
Yeah like what the fuck??
@mrmap4875 yes but i don't really remember any other faction doing this tens of thousands miles away from its territory in a war which they are not participating in, shamelessly calling it an accident and then promoting the guy without receiving any difficulties. Do you have any other example of that?
I'm iranian and lived through this war close to Iraqi border in Khuzestan but I learned so much new things that my government hided from me about this war.
As an Iranian and long-time fan of your channel, I wanted to take a moment to thank you for this insightful video on the Iran-Iraq War. It's a conflict that has had such a profound and lasting impact on the Middle East, and I'm grateful that you've brought attention to it.
I would also encourage you to consider making more videos that focus on Iran and the complex factors that have shaped the country's present situation. As someone with a deep connection to Iran, I believe there is so much more of the story that deserves to be told. Your ability to provide thoughtful, nuanced analysis on geopolitical issues is truly valuable, and I think exploring Iran in greater depth would be incredibly enlightening for your viewers.
Please consider making more content about Iran and the Middle East - it's a region that has had an outsized impact on the world yet is so often misunderstood. Videos like this one are invaluable for fostering greater awareness and understanding.
Thank you again for your work. I look forward to seeing what other topics you tackle in the future... keep up the great work! Looking forward to more enlightening videos from you.
بنازم داداش 💯🔥
I hope Iran can return to democracy soon.
فکر میکردم تنها ايرانی پیگیر ایشون من باشم😅😅 دمت گرم
❤❤
We have democracy @@sino_diogenes
Thanks! It was the first time I managed to connect some dots after watching your video.
I am a Iraqi child of this war and is so sad for what happened to people from both sides, my cousin was killed in the infamous Al-Faw battle 1986 (not mentioned here), my brother served 3 years and survived, my father all 8 and survived (died 2004 from heart attack).
Despite all that there are stories where soldiers saved the lives of soldiers from the other side, those are also true heroes imo.
Coming from a Christian family Iraq ain't safe still for us, but that's on politicians not on people, I love the country and all my childhood friends.
My dad served for 8 years. Before the war, he was ambitious, energetic, hardworking fella. After the war ended, he came back a totally different person. PTSD, depression and ended up with dying from cancer.
Hey brother, my family left Iran during this war as well.
We're Christians from Iran and the country definitely wasn't safe for us back then as well.
@@moeezart835 So sad, I feel the pain
@@PaldinAleihe So true brother, praying for our brothers and sisters there to find some peace
You are exaggerating. There are completely Christian cities in northern Iraq, such as Al-Hamdaniya, Ainkawa, and Al-Qosh, and the Iraqi Minister of Immigration and Displacement is Christian.
As a Kurd I went through several of these wars including the 1996 civil war, and after 13 years of displacement we fled and took a refugee boat to Australia :(
From Indonesia? The jump off point?
@@duniagowesyes
One day we will be free from all of them ♥️☀️💚
Noted: chemical warfare is a ok if you’re a US ally!
Nope, the US eventually punished Iraq for it.
@@FloofyMinari eventually…when they were no longer a useful American ally.
@@FloofyMinari not israil
@@nyrodiana7251 has it used chemical attacks against anyone?
@@FloofyMinari yes
I really appreciate the way you displayed the war on a map. It made the content more interesting for me. Thank you.
As US politician would say : when it comes to middle east US pretends is like choosing between heart attack and stroke - you don’t want either, but it always chooses both (thanks to weapon manufacturers)
I feel bad for the people.
Wrong buddy. We chose cancer. We try to stop with chemo, but it was stage 4 since day 1.
Maybe the US should leave the middle east alone for a change...
Choosing? the US is a uranium bar hidden in your pocket!
If there is no oil in this region like what happened in War in Myanmar, then U.S would not interfere with it.@@hamzak6437
😂😂
As an Iranian and long subscriber of Johnny, I appreciate this video. 🇮🇷🕊🇮🇶
Speak farsi a little bit please.
@user-gc6wd7dm4wwow wow persian hegemony really????last time i checked Iraqis attacked and killed Iranians pal!!
@@mgs2014 i am iraqi and i love iran dont let the one person make you think bad ♥
@@ArabPirate of course not,after all we're middle easterns we're all we got.
0:49 "being ruled by the Shah, a king that the US and UK had installed in the 50s after covertly overthrowing Iran's DEMOCRATICALLY-ELECTED leader."
And, yet, Americans and Brits pat themselves on their backs because of their "freedoms" while their governments and military are invading democratic nations. Evil hypocrites.
I’m kurdish from Kurdistan (northern iraq)….great video as always.
Just wanted to point out that the casualties from Kurdistan weren’t between 50-100 thousand, it’s actually estimated that they were around 182,000 casualties, between dead and some missing to this day, we call it the 8 years of Anfal…..basically most villages (around 5000, including our own village) back then were destroyed, people killed, and ofc the halabca genocide too.
May all their souls rest in peace.
And thank you for the great video keep em up.
@@mason96575 I hope this is a bad joke, but in case it isn't, no. Curds and whey are byproducts of milk in the process of making cheese. Although they sound the same and have a similar spelling, that is coincidental. Kurds are the Kurdish minority people who live in various countries of the Middle East like Iraq, Syria, etc.
The majority of the US Military (Present) have nothing but respect for the Kurds and I wish our leadership would do the same. We should be doing everything within our Powers to establish an independent Kurdistan State which is owed at the very least.
You just want more war. No country would be giving up their territory to the Kurds. That's a stupid opinion to have. @@lmoore6612
@@lmoore6612 'Yeah' and I'm sure Iran, Turkey and Iraq will just all that to happen right? Grow up and learn things first.
@@jayyy3456 And you want to continue to oppress the Kurdish people. If war is necessary to free the Kurds from their oppressors, then so be it.
Uno queda con el corazón dolorido al entender cómo fue en realidad esta guerra y qué estaba pasando en aquel momento realmente, cuando las noticias que nos llegaban del conflicto no terminaban aclarando nada.
Es una locura vivir así, guerreando, mintiendo y enloqueciendo a los pueblos solo por el poder.
Gracias por tu trabajo.
Uruguay
As a kurd myself with parents who lived in kurdistan in northern iraq during this war, thank you so much for talking about this 🤍
You’re welcome. We have a whole video about the plight of the Kurds coming soon
Kurds should learn how to act .. they are Helping usa and terrorist destroy Syria now .. why don’t they just accept being part of a country as citizens ..
@@goldmo2427they shouldn’t accept being second class citizens in their own land. You wouldn’t so why would you ask them to?
@@goldmo2427 u need to learn how to talk, and don't generalize 50 million Kurds, as if Kurds don't have different factions like other people
@@johnnyharrisi already know the video will have a lot of anti turkish propaganda as always. let’s wait tho.
I was just in Halabja yesterday and cried... I'm visiting Iraq and the country has such a sad history. However in the past 5 weeks, the Iraqis have been so welcoming. So kind. Iraq is safe now and beautiful. Baghdad is such a fun vibrant city and Arabs and Kurds alike have shown me unwavering hospitality 🙏
Inshallah this safety continues
Lol keep crying 😂
I'm from Halabja
@@arishkokoiy sorry for everything that's happened to your people 🙏 Kurdistan is a wonderful place. I'm in Soran now, and it's beautiful here too.
Kurds do not identify themselves as Iraqi but as Kurdistani and they have right to do so because their homeland is split between four countries by the French and British and yet the US follow their footstep. what happens to the Kurds is because of west since 1917. If it was not for us, the Arabs, Turks and Persians could never steal the land of the Kurds.
North Iraq is very nice not so much Basra where i come from progress is still slow and we’ve been forgotten
I was born 3 months after the end of this war and I’ve heard countless stories from my dad who was a tank driver for the Iraqi army and was wounded 3 times. The people didnt want to fight but the leaders forced them into the army and to fight and it was all for nothing. It makes me appreciate my dad even more. Thank you for this video Johnny
At the beginning of the war, many iraqi civilians and even teenagers were forcefully recruited into the army including my dad when he was around 16, he fled to kuwait then jordan, some time later he flew to Sweden (late 80s) and now here i am, a born swedish citizen.
the fact that we lost 500 billion dollars and a million lives during the Iraq Iran war. Forward we invaded kuwait and got bombed by like 4 different countries and having 661 imposed sanctions. During this time there was an uprising where up to a hundred thousand died. Going forward we've got the 2003 invasion followed up by a civil war and then ISIS pops up. How unfortunate, Iraq used to be the second richest arab country, our gdp growth was 6-8% per year (world top 10 in growth) I'd say atleast 1 trillion dollars lost due to these conflicts.
Yes They didn't won't to fight because at last they were Muslim and brothers but your leaders made them to fight.if Iran and Iraq didn't fight we could have not seen Palestine crisis 😕
My mom was a doctor in Tehran at the time. She feels the same way as your dad.
@@ihdiadgdhwbad1 Yes thats the story of many Iraqis. We moved to Jordan in 1995 then migrated to New Zealand in 2000 and onto Australia in 2017. Now im a dual New Zealand and Australian citizen but still feel a connection to my home land even though I left when I was 6 years old and would love to visit one day. Much love to all my fellow Iraqis every where in the world. Muslim or Christian ❤️
My father served in the Iraqi army. Still has several nightmares a week to this day seeing scorched landscapes and desolate areas. I was born exactly 9 months after the war ended :)
I am Iranian born in America. Growing up I would always hear stories from my grandma and family of Iran. Thank you for explaining this. You don’t understand how much it means to me to know what happened and why I can’t visit family I’ve only ever heard stories of. Despite everything It hurts that I can’t see a place my family dearly loves
Are they alive? Ask them come visit you pay for their documents or go visit them why not to do
@@auroraprs9133it's dangerous for Americans to go to Iran right now. Well over a year ago, the state department advised Americans that were in Iran to leave
During the attack on halabja my parents and my relatives were there at that moment they barely escaped from that disaster, every night my father gets nightmares about the day when they fled halabja.
At the end as a halabja citizen I appreciate your work and documentary and thank you for mentioning this tragedy.
long live my Kurdish friend
Kurds are one of the most loved population in Iran .You are roots of Persia
it was horrific
My dad and his family too. They fled to Iran who were taking in Iraqi refugees during the war. My uncle was killed.
My mom remembers the Iran-Iraq war very well. She lived in the city of Kermanshah, a major Iranian city near the border with Iraq and one of the most damaged cities during the war. And she was only 8 years old when the war started. My mom told me that schools were closed for most of the years. And one time she was walking near an oil field when Iraqi fighter jets started throwing bombs, and one bomb fell on an oil tank and the oil tank exploded, even though my mom had some distance between her and the Oil tank, the sound from the explosion damaged her ear. When I visited Kermanshah with my mom many years later, when we were crossing by that exact oil field, she explained everything. Everyone in Iran who is older than 45 and lived in the western half of Iran has memories about the Iran Iraq war
Yeah but now look.
Iran rules Iraq (in a good way).
Live in the present. Not the past.
Iran hasn't been this influential since the Zoroastrian era.
@@ciaronsmith4995 Iran doesn't rule Iraq or any other country.its called friendship
@@ciaronsmith4995huh? Who tf is living in the past? You can't recount history now? Why are we even watching this video then. 🥴
@@amafhh-bi3yhnah, Iran literally rules proxies in the entire mideast.
@@ciaronsmith4995agree, Iran rules Iraq and the Iraqi people are very happy with this. Also Iraq will become Persia again within a few hundred years. Persia will become the biggest empire again in about 1000/1500 years , we are now taking a break of a few hundred years. But Persians are The smartest people in the world.
I have 6 veteran uncles and all of them are still suffering from iraqi chemical attacks
My father was born in halabjah, and he was fighting for Kurdistan during this war. But when the war ended, he returned to the town and he saw dead bodies all around the place where he grew up :/
@@tapplayer5953 deathistan exisyç
@@TimurKhan-dn5vx what?
@@Mmahdich we are iraqi, but he was not treated well by the dictatorship, so him and others rebelled against iraq
@@Mmahdich thanks :)
Johnny it’s videos like this that are really important. I consider myself at 40 now a pretty well versed historian but I actually learned a great deal with your video here.
Please continue making videos like this. It’s important that we understand these recent conflicts for the purpose of current geopolitical realities.
Great job to you and your crew 🙏🏼.
I’m Kurdish my grandpa actually got gassed and my dad when he was a kid used to live in a border city next to Iraq but had to move to a village away from the border crazy to think my family went through all this while I live a comfortable life makes me so grateful for everything I have.
The Kurds have suffered greatly from saddam. Allah brings justice in the end.
Same in halabja ❤️😔
Xowa afoy bka bra gyan, shahid lay hamo xalk o ema o xwa shteke waya sart pe barz bkay
Just woke up, made my cup of coffee, and saw Johnny Harris new post 3 minutes ago. My day is made!
this war didn't shape anything. what Shaped the middle east is CIA/Mossad installing their agents as leaders of all Arab countries. Then if any of them decide to betray the contract they will replace him with another.
My Iraqis, My oil, My Dune - USA and their Allies since 1920s.
same here..but with dinner plate
It's 6 pm here😂
Why are we here in this life, why do we die, what will happen to us after death
War story makes your day? ☠️ that's wild.
now come to training camp, sign the contract baby.
As an Iraqi, I can't get enough of these videos. Love to see the world what happened to us. And that it is not our father's fault that they were like this, it was because of war.
Thankfully, everything is so much better and it's like day and night here, and not because of the "liberation", but because of the ppl who want just to live a normal life, a decent one.
Thank you Johnny ❤️
Sorry for the typos, if any.
I'm sorry for what us Americans did to your country. I served 04 to 08. I refuse to vote for warmongers.
Your spelling we great, but the American's do this thing where if they can't win a war, they'll sell you lies about it instead.
The video has more misinfo and bais than the wiki article which is quite the feat. You're better off reading it tbh.
Lot of people of woke up and don’t believe in the western mainstream propaganda, what damage was done to your country was a disgrace RIP to all the innocent people that lost their lives from an Irish man ☘️
@@christopher5846 Im Iraqi myself and halfway through the video and I think its pretty good so far 🤷 whats the misinfo?
It beautifully and unfilteredly explains the historical and devastating wars that affected me and my family.
I still remember the Red Alerts when Iraq was bombing Tehran, and we had to go shelter. We lived in Tehran, in some neighborhoods close to the Nuclear Research Lab of University of Tehran, which was a primary Target fro Iraq. My mom's aunt was thrown into a wall by the shockwave when one of the bombs hit the University Stadium near her house.
Jeez man, I'm glad you are OK. We all can hate on the internet but seeing a comment like this really puts in perspective what a small world we actually live in and how really close and interconnected we all really are. Why do we have to fight each other and deal with the consequences for the actions taken by the ones in power. So sad, I wish you and your family well. Sending love from the UK.
Stop taking that sponsor
Exactly, I wish RUclipsrs would do at least a tiny amount of research about their sponsors...
It’s free money bro, you gotta do what you gotta do
Don’t watch his pockets, let the man eat
Like every heavily youtube marketed product, scammy scummy behavior (kamikoto, raycon, manscaped etc). The irony of a investigative journalist not investigating nor being critical of practices is pathetically hilarious though.
Even the vpn advert too lol
these documentary's are so well crafted i can't find any better
Architects of the Iraq war by Keith Woods is MUCH better
GDF does great things on these subjects
@@grapefruitsimmons GDF is extemely biased in his videos
Wow thank you
You should make a video about the kosovo war and the nato bombings of Yugoslavia@@johnnyharris
This was a very precise and truthful documentary, summarizing the brutal and devastating Iraq-Iran war involving chemical weapons resulting the loss of a million lives, leaving trauma on many more millions, including me. I lost my childhood living in the city of Ahvaz during the eight years of war
It was a brief mention but it’s always great when someone points out that Saddam was a pan-Arab nationalist and not a religious extremist.
ikr idk y this guy is tryna make it sound like a religious war lmao
He wasn’t even really a pan-Arab nationalist either. He just used it as a way to legitimize his power. He never actually worked on trying to create a pan-Arab state.
@@trapster1483 because Iran's revolution was islamic
@@Telgdshhjnothing about Iranians is Islamic 😂😂
I'm going to be honest, I knew next to nothing about this war and found this video so informative and clear and concise. Thank you
My family is Christian from Basra and lived there throughout the Iran-Iraq war. It was a very difficult time. My uncles were drafted in the Iraqi army and fought for years. One was injured and saw many of his friends die. He is scarred for life and to this day never talks about it. Basra bore the brunt of the war--the city was targeted heavily by Iranian forces. My aunt was a professor at the University of Basra which was right on the border with Iran and said the Iranians would just shell and bomb them regularly. My family fled Iraq after the US war on Iraq in 1991. After that second war, Basra was impossible to live in because of the destroyed infrastructure of the city.
Damn Christian in Basra? I head people of Basra welcomed dawlah during 2014 rise
@@sus527 There used to be a substantial community of Chaldean Christians, Assyrian Christians, and Armenian Christians in Basra. They started leaving en masse after the 1991 US war on Iraq and subsequent US embargo. There used to be a neighborhood called "Hayy Armen" (the Armenian quarter). All the Christians churches are still there, but mostly empty now.
@@h.b.7104 interesting cause Basra had hardcore Sunni salafist population that's why they welcomed dawlah during their war now Basra is going throw shiafication after Shia militias war, maybe Saddam had collaborated with them
@@sus527 I don't know. I know Basra definitely controlled now by Shia militias. But I know my family never complained of any kind of discrimination against Christians. Especially in the 1970s to 1990s, they lived securely as Christians. The Iran-Iraq war was a hard time for everyone in the city, and after the 1991 war, when the Shia rebelled against Saddam, he sent his army to Basra to put down the rebellion. His army went door to door in Basra arresting people they found suspicious. When they came to our house, I was a child, but I remember the minute they realized we were Christian, they told us "we know you have nothing to do with this."
@@sus527
Buddy, he from basra in the southern part of Iraq not Mosul, most residents of the city are shia arab, its very far from what Isis control in 2014-2017.
4:20 Greatest sponsor ever, many people watching these are stressed fighting for their opinion or just understanding politics, along with any of their real life personal problems. It’s not a sponsor, it’s a place for people to be happy through out the chaos of this world.
As a kurd, i can say that 99% of this is true and very professionally told. Thank you for being honest and unbiased while explaining the events.
there was a comment here by a guy called wiking something i think that called out the sponsor and that the sponsor are well... kind of a scam. and then i actively saw that comment be banned. Johnny and team, if you value us so much as you have said in previous videos and often thank us for correcting you and calling out when you do something wrong, then dont silence us when we're trying. i understand that you need the money from the sponsor to keep making these videos. But this is pretty underhanded
I saw it too. It's still showing on one of my devices but not on another. I'm waiting for one of these RUclips channels to finally call them out on it
My comment has been removed again. Great transparency
Lets be honest here. There are people on RUclips that are after Johnny Harris in the name of "calling him out." If you don't like the sponsor don't visiting them. Maybe its working for others. Nobody is forcing anybody from going to the sponsors. You've free will boys.
@@neilnelson7603 We should be able to criticize a sponsor that they choose to advertise. It hurts their bottom line and they know this, hence why they have outright removed any comments from even being able to mention the sponsor's name. If that isn't being anything but non-transparent, I don't know what else it would be called.
hey there thanks for calling this out. ill look into it!
-Johnny
Seems like the US hasnt learned from “turning a blind eye”…
There are 54 muslim States, 1,8 Billion Muslims live in them. Guess, in HOW many of them: there is: Democracy, freedom of Speech, Sexuality, Press? Woman rights, a good Economy, Science, and no War, Torture, Dictatorship, Inflation xxxl, Corruption xxxl?
EXACTLY! ZERO! What does this tell us, about this Religion?
All part of the plan 👀
What Plan?@@GingerMole
@@gooldii1 I’ve tried to reply to your comment with their plan but it gets deleted instantly
I dont believe you at all! Conspiracy Theorie! Hahaha!
But, there are 54 Muslim States on Earth, In NONE of them, there is: Freedom of Speech, Sexuality, Woman rights, Press. No good Economy, nor Science, but Corruption, Inflation xxxl and War, Torture. Can you explain why? Come on!
@@GingerMole
I’m Kurdish I remember my grandpa telling me about his stories in the war about how we was in the mountains for months at a time he said it was one of the most brutal things he has had (he became a mayor after the war and ruled 12k men into war)
Long live Kurd long live Kurdistan
This sums it up perfectly and shows the root cause of the deep-seated animosity. The Iranians were actually fighting against a force with full backing from major powers, including money and weapons. This also answers many questions about why many neighboring Arab countries later paid (and are still paying) a huge price for this and why Iraq is in ruins. Iranians have a strong cultural memory and historical consciousness; it is part of their identity.
Real journalism🦾💯
The arms supplied to Iran by the US, both directly and through Israel and other third countries, was absolutely crucial to Iran's wat effort. Its huge fleet of warplanes and helicopters was completely American made. Its tanks and other armored vehicles were largely British.
Iraq's military was mostly of Eastern bloc provenance. Without Western support of Iran the war would have ended in 1982 or 3.
Iran aren't the good guys in this. No one is.
@@johngeren1053
The West supplied both sides.
@johngeren1053 Iran bought those weapons prior to revolution. Those parts helped very little during the war. It just kept some planes in the skies for a few more missions. Iranian blood saved Iran, nothing more.
I was part of a group of Iranian military aid workers when we entered the city of Halabja the day after the chemical attack by the Iraqi army. I witnessed tragic scenes that I am not interested in recounting. My colleagues and I had the duty to collect and bury the bodies of the dead and transfer the survivors and the injured to Iran. At the time, I was sixteen years old, and unfortunately, I suffered severe psychological damage, but at that time, I did not realize the depth of the damage to my soul and body. Exactly thirty-two years later, when I was forty-eight years old. The symptoms of acute depression along with nightmares started in me. Every night, I used to walk among the corpses in Halabcheh and see poor children and women who died brutaly . My condition became so bad that I was admitted to a hospital in Holland for a while. The psychiatrist's diagnosis is acute depression and PTSD, and I am still undergoing medication and therapy. I suffer from various diseases, I don't know exactly if these pains and diseases are the effects of being in the vicinity of chemical weapons... I will never forget those killing scenes. Never
As an iraqi I feel sorry for you and for the innocent kurds who died because of the chemical attacks and yes as you said I have watched multiple videos of the aftermath of the attck and its absolutely horrific to watch many people died sleeping and many died on the streets and the people who fled from there they have breathed some of the chemicals and until this day they greatly suffer from it
Hi, Johnny, I'm an Iranian and I grew up during that war, let me tell you, it was scary, food and gasoline were rationed and I lost my friends in that war, I just wanted to thank you for educating your audience about this war, I appreciate the research you put into this.
U name is tony how u iranian😅
What an accurate analysis.
I’m from Iran and I should say this video is great.
Eres persa???
Yes
After the war, Iran and Iraq slowly traded their captive soldiers, and all of them were released. The relations got better overtime, until Iraq opened the border for Iranians to go to Karbala, Najaf, Samara, and Kazemein for religious pilgrimage. That path is still open to this day. This was a considered as a major victory in Iran.
not win the najaf karbala like holy place for thim
And now US use Ukraina for Star war with Russia. Just like US Irak to start war with iran
Not until Saddam was removed from power by the war waged by the U.S. and U.K.
It’s not just an Iranian W but an Iraqi one too.
An Assyrian Christian born in Iran. I vividly recall the air defense sirens, home basement shelters, school under ground shelters and streaks of bombs flying through the air at night. This war lasted almost a decade. Ten years of my earliest childhood.
Countless lives lost. Wars are horrible.
So whenever a civil defense siren starts off other people will start panicking and you will be feeling nostalgia?
@@Nagvanshieus wow, you can't differentiate between trauma and nostalgia
this video style with only maps and narration is much better than the ones with lots of "making of" shots
There's no "better", it's just different styles.
i really like the style as well. makes it easy to visualize exactly who is doing what and where
as a history loving Iranian who follows your videos for years, I thought you had abandoned the videos about middle-east. glad you're at it again. great video.
i've read bits and pieces of the iran-iraq war but i've never seen it presented this nicely
i went to johny harris's page an hour ago. So happy that when i went back to youtube i was recommended his new video!
😊
Thanks!
just to correct you, saddam hussein didnt give up full control of this waterway in 1975 bcs he wasnt even in power that time, he only ruled from 1979 to 2004
He was the negotiator for that awful treaty with Iran, look it up brother
@@Amar90so he negotiated the treaty that gave Iran access and then wasn’t happy about it when he got into power? He’s a big time psychopath if that was what happened
@odekalebamidele4668 that treaty was negotiated with the evil Shah. When Khomeni liberated Iran, of was nervous. Buyer's remorse.
*2003
@@odekalebamidele4668 he literally is the biggest maniac in history.
For a second time, you have removed my comment criticizing your choice of sponsor. Where is your integrity? Are you afraid of thousands of your fans seeing the truth about the sponsor you accept? Hopefully more people see this comment again: the sponsor has questionable qualifications of their therapists, sold information about their customers and charged unexpected bills on customers due to trapping people with hard-to-cancel subscriptions.
You can't even mention the name of the brand sponsoring the video, so YOU KNOW that it is a problematic subject, and yet you agreed to take them on?
I mean, you could be proactive and make a video about scam sponsors and all the YT channels who they pay. I’d watch it, and I’m sure many others would too.
@@protrainingtips Upper Echelon has a great video on the subject. There are others out there as well who have talked about the sponsor and the problems of them.
@@nolaboyy3279 Maybe not assume they are taking ad-money? Upper Echelon doesn't do ad-rolls or sponsorships that he himself hasn't vetted. Often denying most of them for their scams or grey-zone scummy practices. He otherwise relies almost entirely on Patreon support to remain neutral and other neutral or well-meaning sponsors. UE also provides all sources in direct video and in citations. So... follow your own advice and do your research on someone before you label them?
The above aside, direct reply to OP: I have my suspision heavily confirmed by bigger channels on RUclips that the chat system is largely overloaded and broken. Almost every comment is getting shadowbanned in some shape or form if it doesn't immediately pass YT's internal validation scans. longer comments with wording that may be controversial (having known common phrases and words) get ghosted until a deeper scan or select number of test users who do get to see it show favorable interaction. Mostly speculation, but I assure you it is likely on YT's side of things causing it.
Are you sure you just can't find your own comment? Lots of comments here.
Looks like Iran was caught between Iraq and a hard place.
That joke was bad and you should feel bad for it.
Nice one
👹👹
Get out
Lmao 😜
First USA removes Iranian democratically elected leader, and replaces him with a dictator, then sends money and weapons to Saddam, and now people wonder why does Iran hate USA?! Damn, thats a real head scratcher aint, it?
This is an amazing and well put together video. Thank you.
As a long-time subscriber of Johnny, I would greatly appreciate it if you could produce a video detailing the Afghan civil war of the 1990s. This conflict stands as one of the most devastating wars in history. ❤
i have taken note, when it comes to fighting there is no permanent allies, just friend with benefits, when it goes sour then comes the gas lighting to switching sides
As a Brit who wants to learn about geopolitics so I can understand truly what is going on, these videos could not be more helpful. Thank you so much for all of these Johnny. Amazing content that explains it all so simply 💙
I wish my best to those involved in all the horrific conflicts across the globe 💙
this is One of Your Best videos Johnny!
i thank our Lord for returning my USA Army Son back alive and mostly whole from Iraq.
i recall cautioning my Warrior Son about killing too many humans and the grief it would cost Him later in life.
Thankfully, He listened and understood.
After He hung up the phone.... He went back to killing.
He was the Lead Gunner on convoy runs. Explaining that it was mostly a 40mph drive by counter-attack against unseen shooters. 20 to 30 USA military vehicles moving fast after Curfew.
i felt bad for my Son that He had to go into another sovereign country to harm. At the direction of terrible decisions by our political leaders.
We would never allow other countries to invade the USA.
Trully, we are only protected by our kindness to all neighbors. We need them.
i need You!❤😊
As an Iraqi thank you for this reconstructing of Iraq-Iran war. This was what kicked everything off that is still ongoing today in middle east. Also, it is the reason why millions on both sides have migrated to other countries to progress in one's life away from wars (my family moved to NZ)
It is Saddam who destroyed Iraq and the sanction after kuwaiti War made Iraq one of the poorest country!!! People could not even buy a simple bread. Now The Shias will never ever in 1 million years accept a sunni Rule!!! He basically destroyed Iraq for sunnis
Even after 36 years of the end of this war in Iran, you can feel the scars of it everywhere. Most streets, avenues, and alleys are named after martyrs. Every middle-aged person has some memories of war; some of them are terrifying, maybe epic, or even funny. The effect of a shortage of everything is still in people's behavior. Most Iranians still buy basic goods in bulk to be ready for a shortage again. A lot of people buy cottages, villas, or land in the countryside to have somewhere to go if a war happens again.
Very sad!!! I pray for calm and peace in Iran watching this video has increased my love for Iran they have gone through a lot this brothers of mine may Allah grant them peace!(I know it's peaceful but what I mean peace in their hearts and calmness from this world!)
alot of my relaives were a part of this war, as my grandpa who fought in northern border of this war for more than 8yrs and even after as mountain infantry officer (still alive but he lost his left eye). what a brutal war.. chemical weapons, teenager soldiers, dropping bombs on civilians and more, but for what? no one won, we all lost and more than 1.5M soldiers died and the stupid borderline never change. at least let us wish the peace to be upon all martyrs💐🕊️🇮🇶🇮🇷
Iran won big time. Who rules Iraq now? Iran.
Saddam invaded iran , lost , and now Iraq belong to iran
What side did he fight for?
@@bobvance8017
The iraqi one
Iran won. No Saddam posters in Iran. Plenty of Khomenini posters in Iraq.
I am iraqi. Thanks for reminding me of one of the many reasons i must despise Saddam.
SADDAM WAS F'ING COOL!!!!
I love how Israel sees Iraq as a much greater threat than Iran so they supplied Iran not knowing that in the future that Iran is actually the greater threat lmao
No, Israel know this is their opportunity to weaken Iraq for "Greater Israel" plan which ncluded 3/4 of Iraq territory
@@muhsein
Their plan failed in Syria, so they never made it to Iraq
الحمد لله
Iran then was just emerged from a revolution, with domestic instability, so unlikely able to project regional power just like Soviet Union back in 1920s. Israel was right to view Iraq as greater threat than Iran based on Iraq proximity to Levant region, its secular Pan-Arabism dictatorship which has a lot in common with other hostile Arab states, Egypt and Syria.
@muhsein lol Israel just made sure Saddam Hussein is not a threat to them.
Also they will make sure Iran is not a threat to them you will see.
There has been no empire or regime in history that has been successfull with a hate regime against the Jews or Israel.
This next level production and coherence. Thanks for your work!
Waiting for this video for a long time..thank you for it..👍🏻👍🏻
I love the War Mapping Series you doing 🔥.
one of my favorites, thankyou johhny for an early weekend gift!!!
Great content. You make very complex geopolitical issues so easy to understand. You get my Subscribe...
I am from Jordan. I remember that my father participated in this war. He was a tank driver, but he survived and returned to Jordan. He died of cancer 8 months ago.
May Allah bless ur father and grant him Jannat al Firdaws, thanks for his service and protecting our countries. I was a tank operator also. Arab brothers ❤🌹
My God forgive him and grant him paradise, respect to my arabs from a kurd whose father and uncle served iraq 🫡
@@MrKobeFuentes We had many loyal Kurdish brothers, Iraq was also their land. ❤🌹
Mey he goes to hell
Hahahahaha 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
So beautifully done video man!
10/10👍👍
Now that's what I want from Jhonny. A crispy map video with narration. Not some studio clips of spilling coffee.
lol feel free to scroll
Oh man let Johnny be creative with his videos. Nonetheless the content is always incredible, so he should feel free to create his content as he pleases. I’m just grateful to be able to watch his videos. Prime content 👌
When Saddam Hussain’s Army invaded Iran I was just a little kid and just started second class in elementary school, at the beginning of the waging war no one thought it would be the longest and bloodiest war in our recent history, as the war grew the more soldiers killed or injured or captured by brutal and barbaric Iraqi army and their notorious intelligent service so called ESTEKHBARAT which tortured and abused thousands of Iranian soldiers or volunteers in battlefield, a lot of them very young teenagers, ( in contrast Iranian people and authorities never ever tortured or had any kind of bad behaviour to Iraqi captures, they all had good food nice shelter and even sports facilities) we as children were witnessed a lot of horrible things behind battlefield lines in cities and villages, such as night time bombardments, hearing or seeing missiles and fighter airplanes , all the time war news in national TV special operations…., day time watching the body of war victims in coffins which mentally had a very negative impact on us all made us badly depressed and so on ! When finally war ended in 1988 I became a young man , told you when started I was just a little child ! These bitter memories never go away from our generation till the end of our lives 😢😢
😂🇮🇷🩴
don't need to read further to figure out you're spewing bs, so you're saying that Iran never committed war crimes nor torture of Iraqi POWs? My uncle's friend who was captured in 1984 was tortured so much that when he got back after the prisoners exchange he had 0 sanity left, he died 3 years after getting back to Iraq.
After the Battle of busaytin in 1981, which took place in Ahvaz province, and the Iranian forces suffered significant losses, which resulted in the removal of the Iranian armor weapon from the battle, the Iranian forces shot hundreds of Iraqi soldiers who fell into captivity after they ran out of ammunition, contrary to international conventions and conventions, in addition to violations that reached the point of shooting prisoners in captivity cages and in front of the International Red Cross missions that documented these violations ..
Among the cases of violations documented by humanitarian organizations was the famous shot of the process of handcuffing a prisoner by his wrists and tying them to two cars driving in the opposite direction until they cut off his limbs, before preparing to shoot him, in an incident that has never happened before in the history of wars.
This is just 1 incident in the early years if the war, there are thousands that were well documented throughout the 8 years war, you can lie to yourself with your nonsense but you can't fool anyone else with your lies.
this is a complete lie, Saddam Hussein quite literally put iranian kids into schools who were sent to fight on the frontlines, Iranian children were literally taken from the frontlines, and put into iraqi schools to prepare them for when they go back to Iran,
@Johnny Harris 17:34 - they believed it was an F14 (not an F16) as they were the only other export customer for the F14.
Thank you will look into this and make the correction
@@johnnyharrisFun fact: Iran ordered 80 F-14s, but the last one was still being built when the revolution happened. Since the US Government wouldn't give it to the new regime, it was given to the US Navy.
Iran also ordered 150 F-16s, but none were delivered.
I'd also like to point out the framing of that event. If Iran is using fighter jets to attack civilian ships in the area, they bear the full responsibility of an aircraft originating from their airspace being shot down. This is literally the human shield tactic we see so often in which they purposefully flew civilian aircrafts through that area to camouflage their Fighter Jets in order to strike civilian targets.
@@lmoore6612 That is some twisted logic. Iran bears the responsibility for an American ship shooting down a civilian aircraft, during a war started by an American ally. Cool beans you're crazy.
If you're so good at the tactics Iranian used in war and know for a fact that it was a meat shield why don't you join the American intelligence services?@@lmoore6612
Here is the truth swallow it: america attacked a civilian target, didn't take responsibility for it and gave the man who committed the act a medal of honor, maybe, just maybe it was an intentional target? But of course you know best that Iran uses a meat shield, civilian life only matters to the USA, no one else
Get your raw, unfiltered data from different sources and cross examine them cause the ones you are using are biased based on the type of comment you have on such sensitive matters
I'm telling this to you as a friend
Peace man
Hi. First off thank you for covering the war and the great video and putting things on the map. Secondly, there are some inaccuracies and context that I feel I should bring to your attention. I'll go chronologically:
1- There were multiple calls for ceasefire and in the beginning, Iran did not accept the initial overtures for ceasefire because it had territory under Iraqi control. The Israeli-Arab wars had shown that after a ceasefire a country could and, as precedent had shown, would keep conquered territory. Although Saddam said he would leave the Iranians wouldn’t believe him.
There was a point in 1982 where Iran had recaptured most of its key territory, but as you point out they called for Saddam’s removal. It is a point of debate and counterfactual history today, with critics saying had Iran accepted a ceasefire at that point many lives could have been saved.
2- The chemical weapons and materials for manufacturing them were supplied by Germany, France, UK, Netherlands, and other western European nations not the US. Put this together with US’s intelligence support, USSR weapon supplies and Kuwait and Saudi financial support and you will understand the rhetoric in Iran that it was defending against an unjust war by the world. It has fuelled it’s longstanding distrust of the West and international institutions.
3- Lastly in 1988 the US, apart from shooting an airliner, also attacked Iranian oil installation and infrastructure in the Persian Gulf. And these events directly contributed to Iran’s accept a ceasefire, as they feared direct escalation of US involvement. Given that the US had shot down an airliner they feared there would be no holds barred.
Other factors included depleted moral and military resources on both sides and Iran holding all its key previously captured territory.
4- Also, at the risk of nit picking your otherwise well-made video I should add that Iran did not have F-16s. The USS Vincennes claimed it mistook the airliner for an F-4 Phantom. How likely is it that a top of the line US cruiser would mistake a slow 180ft Airbus A300, flying on a known commercial course, for an agile 60ft fighter-bomber? I don’t know, but mistakes happen in war and the ship’s captain got a Legion of Merit for it.
I hesitated to watch this episode as I am a child of the war between Iran and Iraq and I knew it would bring back lots of bad memories. It ruined my childhood and my life. Not only the war but the revolution as well. My father sold all he had to save me and send me out of the country. Separated my family, and made me and many others like me live a life that was not meant to be.
From South Sudan here. Always a member of the channel
The journalism of team Jonny has consistently felt like something else so to speak! Raza :)
Well done, man. Embracing your interests in geography and politics perfectly matches a curious mind like mine.
I can't believe I got here in less than a min after it was released
I think it would inspire creators like us ❤️
This is a clever way to edit that type of video: it is more focused and brings more attention to the history, reasons and strategies of wars.
It is more focused on the facts, but photos and slice of videos make the content pretty much more entertainable
The last two videos are amazing dude!
This war changed many life's including me. As an young Iranian, I can say this war changed many lives even for generations after. Thanks for the accuracy it was great❤
Let us not forget the involvement of the United States in the arms sales to Saddam before that war. They indirectly "pushed" him to get into that war, they ignored his usage of chemical weapons as long as it is used against Iran.
The US, Ronald Reagan provided Saddam Hussain with the political cover.
Thank you Johnny! Keep shedding light on the forgotten history....
Iv been following you for 7 years now !! Your one of my biggest inspirations please reach out if you read this. Kaiora from New Zealand I would love to work with you
Funny how your username doesn’t appear to have Kaiora in it…
Your = the thing that belongs to you
You’re = you are
@@robknight9406 my guy, you are talking to a bot
@@Unknown-ud8ni and yet it’s a favourite comment by Johnny Harris 🤣
@@robknight9406 yeah some folks don't pay attention to usernames and shit that doesn't add up
Such a great, explanatory video. Subscribed for more
HI Johnny, I'm glad you finally covered this. It's a complex issue of a bygone time. I was born in Iranian just after the war, while by brothers lived as kids during it.
A few points to add:
- The US Supported the coup that brought in Khomeini. Khomeini was in Iraq and the time. Fundementalism was supported as these dudes weren't going to support communism.
- The US provided Iraq with Chemical Weapons that were used on both Iran and the the kurds.
The conflict was nonsense generated largely by US meddling. Even with the majority of the worlds support, Saddam didn't get what he wanted. It was a lot of ceaseless and meaningless death for nothing.
Another fantastic insightful video.
Thank you from the Gambia 🇬🇲
Two points are neglected: hostage taking by Iranians in the US embassy. Second the bold role of Germany (both west and east) in supplying Iraq with chemical weapons.
Excellent video.
Love the new editing style focusing on the maps more!!
Finally you made a video about this
Love this type of content. Very informative
My father was in civilwar in iran kurdistan when he was only a high-school boy. He says when he wake up at the morning all of his friends(soldiers) are headless and their head is on their chest... God im 4 years older than he was and i just cant even imagine that...
Who did that?
Thank you for the nice video 🇮🇶
My father served 7 years during this time as everyone who was of age had to serve compulsory time. He was an AA gunner in the capital of Baghdad and would tell me when Iran F4s would come, they’d fly low and fast, zoom and book tactics that he couldn’t do nothing to as he was using an auto cannon anti-air gun meant for WW2 planes on jets.
Apart from these few stories , he never really mentions anything else and I don’t blame him as he must’ve seen some horrific things during the war and I don’t want to remind him or bring it up.
These are war crims not by suddam, but also buy his supporters (US, FRANCE)
You think sadam is friends with America? ☠️☠️☠️
@@Natsudragneel_28not friends, supporters. US supported Iraq in this war.
And Soviet Union
Everyone , war is a crime all sides end up guilty
Us supported him yes i think theyr involved@@Natsudragneel_28
Great insightful video 😎👍🏼
Another masterpiece of an explainer 🔥👏🏻
Architects of the Iraq war by Keith Woods is MUCH better