The Iraqi government, which declared war against the Kurd revolution, launched a large and widespread attack on Kurdistan in 1974. It allocated a massive army of a quarter of a million, equipped with heavy, advanced weapons of the era, which consisted of hundreds of modern tanks and all types of aerial weapons and air force, to suppress the Kurds and destroy the Aylul Revolution, under the shadow of the friendship and cooperation treaty between Iraq and the Soviet Union. 

      The Garmian region, like all other parts of Kurdistan, was subjected to the military occupation campaign of the army and was attacked from three sides: from the north, south, and west, meaning they sent forces from Sulaymaniyah, Halabja, and Kirkuk to take control of all of Garmian. The Iraqi Army commanders, Staff Lieutenant General Abdul-Jabbar Shanshal and Lieutenant General Saeed Hammo, attributed the takeover of Garmian to several reasons, including that it is a vast area and includes a group of large cities such as Khurmal, Halabja, Sirwan, Arbat, Said Sadiq, Darbandikhan, Sangaw, and Qaradagh; the high mountains of the region were always the backbone of the revolution and were a major threat to the government; closing part of the border of Iran with Kurdistan; and narrowing the areas of the revolution to prevent the Peshmerga from descending into the cities and striking the Iraqi Army.  

 The Iraqi Army designated several military units to carry out this attack, including the 14th Force of the 1st Division commanded by Staff Colonel Abdul-Jabbar Al-Safi, a tank battalion commanded by First Lieutenant Raad Hamdani, the air force, and mercenary fighters (Jash). On June 1, 1974, the designated units of the Iraqi Army for this attack began preparations in the Quliasan area south of Sulaymaniyah, which lasted three days. After that, at dawn on June 4, 1974, the army began to move. The Peshmerga Forces of Kurdistan, to confront this attack, blocked the army's path in the village of Farajawe and were able to break the advances of the Iraqi Army and inflict heavy losses on it. That battle continued until near noon. As a result, a large number of soldiers and Jash were killed and wounded, and about 20 soldiers and Jash were taken prisoner by the Peshmerga Forces. On the side of the revolution, three Peshmerga were martyred, along with a number of wounded. After the army suffered a major defeat, the Iraqi Army artillery began shelling the villages and towns of the area and the Peshmerga positions. 

 The next day, the Iraqi Army continued its attacks and assaults with the support of warplanes and mercenary fighters (Jash), and they were able to take control of Arbat and continue advancing towards Darbandikhan. Before reaching their destination at the Tanjaro bridge in Zarayan, they clashed again with a Peshmerga force. A fierce battle took place between them. Although the Peshmerga Forces were able to inflict damage on the army's advances, their force was very small compared to the large force of the army, which consisted of the 16th Armored Force commanded by Staff Colonel Mahmoud Wahib, who had come from Jalawla, so they could not hold out any longer and retreated their force, and the army was able to enter Darbandikhan.

After a few more days, specifically on June 9, 1974, in the Qaradagh area, a Peshmerga force attacked the Iraqi Army with the intention of striking a blow and causing damage to the army units. On June 11, in the same way as before, they once again attacked the 90th Reserve Force, which was tasked with protecting Zarayan. Clearly, these were partisan Peshmerga activities, with the intention of causing damage to the army and so that they would not think that if they took control of those areas, the Peshmerga would stand idle and could no longer confront them.                         

Sources:      

  1. Shawkat Malla Ismail Hassan, Days in the History of the Aylul Revolution, 1961-1975, Ministry of Education Press, Erbil – 2007.

  2. Karwan Johar Muhammad, Idris Barzani 1944-1987 Life and Political and Military Role in the Kurdish Liberation Movement, Hevi Press, Erbil, 2019.

  3. - Masoud Barzani, Barzani and the Kurdish Liberation Movement, Volume Three, Part Two, Aylul Revolution 1961-1975, First Edition – Erbil, 2004.

  4. Sangar Ibrahim Khoshnaw, Military Events of the Aylul Revolution 1970-1975, Danishfar Press, First Edition, Erbil, 2022.