[3] The MEK, also known as the Mojahedin, shifted their base of operations to Iraq, and established a military front, the National Liberation Army of Iran (NLAI), the following year to attack Iranian forces.
[1] The NLAI's initial tactics were centered on hit-and-run attacks that prioritized quick strikes and hasty retreats to avoid excessive losses.
[2] Following Operation Shining Sun, Saddam Hussein used NLAI forces to pressure Tehran during the process of peace talks, as the Iraqi army had been withdrawn as a condition to peace talks; Hussein could claim to have ordered full withdrawal while continuing to fund the NLAI.
The Fakkeh region, where the battle took place, is located near the border of Khuzestan province in southwest Iran and Maysan Governorate in southeast Iraq.
[1] [6][7] The NLAI seized 600 square kilometers of territory from Iran and control of the strategic international Dezful-Amarah highway, west of the city of Shush.
[6] NLAI forces reportedly seized an extensive suite of weapons, including four US-made M-47 tanks and an M-113 armored personnel carrier.
A mobile rocket launcher and five 106 mm guns, in addition to a cache of 750 assault rifles, were also reportedly seized; some weapons were taken for use and the others destroyed.
Operation Shining Sun served to cement the Mojahedin's legitimacy as a political-militant movement, both in the eyes of the NLAI and the Iranian Government.