Abdol Ali Badrei (29 March 1921 – 11 February 1979) was an Iranian lieutenant general and the last commander of the Imperial Iranian Army and the Imperial Guard. He was one of the hardline senior military officers[1] and was assassinated during the course of the regime change in Iran.
Abdol Ali Badrei | |
|---|---|
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| Born | 29 March 1921 Kermanshah, Qajar Iran |
| Died | 11 February 1979 (aged 57) Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran |
| Allegiance | Imperial Iranian Army |
| Service/ |
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| Years of service | 1941–1979 |
| Rank | Lieutenant General |
| Commands held |
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| Other work | |
| Cause of death | Shooting |
Early life and education
Badrei was born in Kermanshah on 29 March 1921.[2] He graduated from the military academy in Kermanshah and Tehran.[2]
Career
After graduation, Badrei joined the Imperial army as lieutenant in the Mounted Infantry.[2] His first mission was in 1946 to fight against rebels in Azerbaijan and Kurdistan Province.[2] Then he joined the imperial guards in 1946.[2] In 1967, he was promoted to the rank of brigadier general and served as second in command in the guards.[2] In 1971, he became a major general and was appointed commander of the immortal guards in 1973.[2] In 1975, he was made lieutenant general and was appointed commander of the imperial guards in 1976.[2]
In February 1979 Badrei publicly stated that the army would not follow the orders of Prime Minister Shahpour Bakhtiar.[3] Instead of being reprimanded by the Shah due to these remarks, he was named commander of the ground forces on 10 January,[1] succeeding Gholam Ali Oveissi, who had resigned from office and left Iran.[4][5] Badrei formed a group to carry a military coup on 10 February, just before the Iranian revolution.[6] He served in the post of the Imperial Ground Forces commander until his death on 11 February.[6]
Death
Badrei was assassinated on 11 February 1979 on the Sultanabad barracks which was the army headquarters in Tehran.[7][8] He was leading the troops of the Imperial Ground Forces loyal to the Shah which were fighting against armed civilians who were the supporters of Ayatollah Khomeini when he was murdered.[9] Scheherezade Faramarzi argued in 2019 that the murderer of Badrei was a teenager who was not aware of his identity.[7] Upon his assassination the Imperial army was easily disintegrated by the Islamic government.[9]
References
External links
Media related to Abdol Ali Badrei at Wikimedia Commons
