The World - News from Jan. 22, 1988

Waves of Iraqi warplanes attacked Iranian positions on the northern battlefront, but the Tehran regime said its weeklong operation in the region claimed the lives of 800 Iraqis. Iraq’s air strikes appeared at least partly aimed at blunting an Iranian offensive in the mountainous Kurdistan region of northern Iraq--a drive that some Persian Gulf analysts consider the first step of a long-awaited Iranian winter offensive. In London, meanwhile, major newspapers said the minesweeping force jointly operated by the British, Dutch and Belgian governments in the Persian Gulf will be cut by 50% in the next three months.