The Great Aylul Revolution broke out on September 11, 1961, under the leadership of General Mustafa Barzani . Because the revolution was all-encompassing, a large number of Peshmerga participated in it and defended the land and citizens of Kurdistan. When the revolution broke out, the Peshmerga took action from military camps and police stations and expelled them from most areas of Kurdistan. After this, one by one and group by group, citizens reached the border of the liberated areas and joined the revolutionary army of Kurdistan.
Those who joined the army of the Aylul Revolution were several different groups within Kurdish society. The first group were those known as the companions of Barzani, who went to the Soviet Union in 1947 with leader Mustafa Barzani. This group had a great deal of expertise in fighting and confronting the enemy, because some of them were fighters in the first and second Barzan revolutions, and later, along with General Barzani, they protected the Republic of Kurdistan from enemies within the framework of the Barzan force. This group was expert in mountain warfare and precise defensive tactics, and most importantly, they were ready to sacrifice their souls and lives for the sake of Kurdistan and Barzani, who was the leader of the revolution.
The second group of Peshmerga who joined the ranks of the revolution were those patriotic officers who had responsibilities in the ranks of the Iraqi Army, including: Colonel Taha Bamerani, Colonel Abdulrahman Qazi, Lieutenant Colonel Nafiz Jalal, Lieutenant Colonel Aziz Akrayi, and Sheikh Reza Gulani, who was a police officer. The arrival of these officers into the revolution created a significant impact, because they were experts in the plans and tactics of the Iraqi Army and were specialists in the use of weapons, artillery, radio, etc. Furthermore, by their arrival, they created a negative impact in the ranks of the enemy army, because they were experts in the mountainous areas; if they had not left the Iraqi Army, they would have become guides for the Iraqi Army and could have dealt fatal blows to the revolutionary army of Kurdistan.
The third group were those hot-blooded young people who were engaged in political work in the ranks of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, but after the outbreak of the revolution, a large part of them left their cities and joined the ranks of the revolution. The arrival of these people into the revolution was important, because they were literate and each of them had a specialty that was utilized in the areas under the authority of the revolution. The fourth group, which made up the majority of the revolutionary army, were Kurdish farmers, workers, and youth, and their only wish in life was the liberation of the land of Kurdistan. This group was at the service of the revolution with their heads and wealth; the men of the families had weapons on their shoulders for defense, and the women provided bread, water, and other necessities for the Peshmerga, whatever they could. The fourth group was the group of revolutionary enthusiasm, and if they had not existed, the revolution would never have been able to continue for fourteen years amidst all those enemies.
The fifth group were Kurds from the North, East, and West who believed in the cause of their nation and considered the struggle of every part as a duty. Also, in the Aylul Revolution, the national and religious components of Kurdistan participated and had a significant role, such as Christians, Yazidis, and Turkmen. The participation of these national and religious components goes back to the lack of discrimination between Kurds and those components, in the sense that the Iraqi government did not discriminate between them and oppressed them all equally, imprisoned them, and confiscated their rights. Also, the revolution did not discriminate between those components, in that it viewed them all with the same eye, protected them all, and did not allow any of these components to violate the rights of the others.
When the Revolutionary Command Council was formed on October 4, 1964, under the leadership of Mullah Mustafa Barzani, the leadership of the revolutionary army was directly in the hands of Barzani. Also, the organization of its affairs according to Article 25 of the Constitution of the Revolutionary Command Council of Iraqi Kurdistan was as follows: A military section shall be formed in the Executive Office, its task shall be to organize military affairs in the revolution and work to develop it in all respects, and this section, in consultation with the Executive Office and the General Commander of the Revolution, shall issue all necessary regulations and instructions for this purpose.
Regarding the weapons of the revolutionary army of Kurdistan; initially, the weapons in the hands of the Peshmerga consisted of English rifles, Brno, Simonov, machine guns, small mortars, and hand grenades. These weapons were obtained from several sources. The first source was the Kurdish society, which during the Aylul Revolution was still a pastoral farming society, so many citizens had their own weapons, and when the revolution broke out, most of them joined the revolution with their own weapons. Also, when the revolution broke out, many military camps, police stations, and outposts of the Iraqi Army fell into the hands of the Peshmerga, and these all contained various weapons that the Peshmerga seized. Another source of weapons was obtained from the attacks that Peshmerga detachments carried out on the Iraqi Army. Also, after the revolution held its ground and became strong, the country of Iran, which knew that the revolution was a main factor in the weakening of the Iraqi government and they wanted this too, often helped the revolution with heavy weapons.
Regarding the clothing of the Peshmerga, all Peshmerga wore earthy-colored Rank and Chokha, wore hats and shemaghs or Kleta, wore belts, wore socks and leggings (puttees), and appeared very agile and energetic. Sometimes, clothing and shoes were given to the Peshmerga by the revolution. As for food; the backbone of the revolution was the food that the villagers provided for the revolution, and whatever they found, they gave a share to the Peshmerga, in addition to the fact that food was also prepared at the Peshmerga headquarters. It is worth mentioning that in the Aylul Revolution, there was no discrimination at all between the food of the ordinary Peshmerga and the officials, and they all had to eat the same food. This is also true for clothing, and officials had to wear the same earthy clothing that the Peshmerga wore.
In the Aylul Revolution, being a Peshmerga was not a rank that could be easily attained. A citizen who wanted to become a Peshmerga had to be supported by a Party Headquarters, whether it was an organization, a district, or a branch. Furthermore, they had to be a Peshmerga on a trial basis for at least three months, during which their behavior, morals, and loyalty were monitored. Their physical ability and endurance of cold and heat were tested, and it had to be known whether they could endure long marches on foot and hunger, then they were allowed to carry the weapon of honor and defense of the Country on their shoulders.
The Peshmerga of the Aylul Revolution had to undergo training. The most prominent training was the use of weapons, because this was important for defending themselves and the Country. Also, other courses were held in the ranks of the revolutionary army of Kurdistan, including courses for cadres, teachers, and medics. In terms of strengthening Military capability, wireless, artillery, and engineering courses were held. The opening of these courses took the revolution to another stage, and the Peshmerga defended themselves more skillfully and protected their fellow citizens.
As for what relates to responsibility in the revolution, the criteria for obtaining responsibility in the great Aylul Revolution were not random. Rather, the Peshmerga who was entrusted with responsibility, in addition to loyalty to the land, the Country, and the leadership of the revolution, had to be calm and composed in times of crisis and have the ability to solve the problems of the Peshmerga and the problems of the citizens as well.
The Peshmerga army of Kurdistan at the beginning of the revolution was divided into several fronts, and each front was led by a capable and experienced Peshmerga who was a Head of Branch. After this, and specifically in the late 1962, the army organizations were changed and made more precise, becoming: squad, platoon, branch, battalion, and each of these was managed by a squad leader, platoon leader, Head of Branch, and battalion Commander. The reason for this goes back to the heroic deeds that the Peshmerga demonstrated on all fronts and was able to liberate a lot of land and people and expand the border of the liberated areas.
This division continued until after the Iraq authority was taken over by the Baathists, but with the further expansion of the liberated area and the increase in the number of Peshmerga, in addition to the separation of a small minority in 1964, and also after the formation of the Revolutionary Leadership Council, the structure of the Peshmerga was reorganized and the duties and responsibilities were redistributed. This was an important development for the revolution and later reflected in the field of resistance and defiance, and the Peshmerga, with their successive victories, proved that they are a force that cannot be pushed back and will not abandon their nation and their Country.
In the third volume and the first part of the book Barzani and the Kurdish Liberation Movement, which Masoud Barzani wrote, and he himself was a Peshmerga of the revolution and was aware of the details of the structure of the revolutionary army of Kurdistan, he wrote:
The army of the revolution was also organized as follows:General Commander: Mela Mustafa Barzani.
Chief of Staff: Nuri Mela Maruf.
The First Army in Badinan, its commander Asad Khoshawi and consists of:
Zakho Force: under the command of Isa Suwar.
Duhok Force: under the command of Ali Khalil.
Sheikhan and Akre Force: under the command of Haso Mirxan Dolamari.
The Second Army in Erbil: its commander Rashid Sindi, consists of:
Safeen Force: under the command of Tahir Ali Wali.
Kawa Force in Pishdar area: under the command of Haso Mirxan Zhazhuki.
Betwata Force in Betwata area: under the command of Ali Shaban.
The Third Army in Sulaymaniyah and Kirkuk under the command of Colonel Aziz Akrayi, and consists of:
Khabat Force: under the command of Abdulwahab Atrushi.
Qaradagh Force: under the command of Fazil Talabani.
Rizgari Force: under the command of Tariq Ahmed.
According to this, the revolutionary army of Kurdistan consisted of three armies, and each army consisted of three or four forces, and no force had less than three battalions, and the battalions had to have at least three branches, and each branch had three platoons or more, and each platoon had no less than three squads, and each squad included at least ten Peshmerga.
Sources:- Abdullah Melazada, The Form of Military Organization of the Great Aylul Revolution, First Edition, Minara Printing House, Erbil-2020.
- Masoud Barzani, Barzani and the Kurdish Liberation Movement, Volume Three-Part One, Rojhalat Printing and Publishing House.
- Najm al-Din al-Yusufi, The Great Aylul Revolution, Sharia College Press-1995.