Legacy of Iran-Iraq War Still Reverberates after 40 years

 Baghdad, Iraq - A jaw, various bones and a few personal belongings - plastic pocket comb with broken teeth, dog tags and metal wristwatch - were among the remains recently unearthed of a man killed during the Iran-Iraq War.

The heartbreaking photos - posted on Facebook with details on the area where the remains were discovered, along with the soldier's name - are grim reminders of the bloody 1980-88 conflict that still affects many Iraqis today.

"The remains of the Iraqi military officer Elawi Youdan Abbas were found in the Iraq-Iran border in Maysan province," says the post, one of numerous such announcements that pop up on social media from time to time.

Forty years ago on Tuesday, Iraq took Iran by surprise by waging a wide-scale war driven by border disputes and dictator Saddam Hussein's ambitions to be the undisputed leader of the region. Back then, Iraq argued the conflict started earlier - on September 4, 1980, when Iran shelled Iraqi border points.

After eight years of fierce battles in which the United States, other western nations, and a majority of Arab countries supported Iraq, internationally isolated Iran accepted a peace deal brokered by the United Nations in August 1988.

Neither nation declared victory, and both armies ended in the same positions where they started. The lengthy and bitter conflict not only left the two countries with heavy human losses and economic disruption, but it also impacted the region for years to come.

Source: Aljazeera News