In 1979, the Ayatollah Khomeini created the ''Basij Mostazafan'' a mass movement of young people between 12 and 17 years of age. When the Iran-Iraq War started, they were incorporated into the Iranian military. Khomeini issued a [[fatwa]] and promise of paradise calling for the young people to move forward in human wave attacks to clear minefields so the regular Army could follow. Matthias Küntzel quotes an Iraqi officer's description of one such encounter in the summer of 1982. | In 1979, the Ayatollah Khomeini created the ''Basij Mostazafan'' a mass movement of young people between 12 and 17 years of age. When the Iran-Iraq War started, they were incorporated into the Iranian military. Khomeini issued a [[fatwa]] and promise of paradise calling for the young people to move forward in human wave attacks to clear minefields so the regular Army could follow. Matthias Küntzel quotes an Iraqi officer's description of one such encounter in the summer of 1982. |