After the Ba'athist military coup and the fall of Abd al-Karim Qasim's regime, the Iraqi government's war and its attack on Kurdistan stopped for a period, and negotiations took place between the leadership of the revolution and the Iraqi government. However, the Ba'athists soon refused to listen to the Kurdish demands, and on 10 June 1963 they resumed their attacks on Kurdistan, especially in the Barzan and Badinan regions. In mid-August, a large force of soldiers and agents (Jash) was mobilized, along with a force of the Syrian Army called the Yarmouk Force, led by Major General Fahd al-Shaer, who crossed the border to support the Iraqi government to destroy the Kurdish revolution by an agreement between the Iraqi and Syrian governments. 

After information about the attack reached the Peshmerga Forces and the leadership of the revolution from loyalists and supporters of the revolution that the government intended to launch a large-scale attack on the Amidi region, the leadership of the revolution in the region developed a plan to confront the attack and inflict defeat on it as follows: A force of Peshmerga led by Faisal Hassan Nazarki and Haji Shaban was stationed in the city of Ashawa to prevent the attacking force from attacking Mangishki, while another force led by Jamila Sur Bamarni was stationed in Bamarni. Another force was sent to Ardna, and another force led by Corporal Suleiman Doski was deployed between the regions of Mizuri Bala and Doski. With an alternate force of about 300 Peshmerga led by Isa Suwar in the Kolia region that was on alert, and another force was prepared to be on alert between Batifa and Zakho, and another force led by Saeed Haji Shaban remained in the village of Kani Rash and closed the road from Amidi to Barwari.

As we mentioned above, in mid-August, a large government force with heavy weapons, armored vehicles, aircraft, and hundreds of infantry and agents (Jash) appeared from Duhok towards the Peshmerga positions in Swaretuka.

Although the Peshmerga defended at first and prevented them, they could not continue due to the size of the attack, but they withdrew their forces in several places. The Iraqi Army began burning the villages (Banda, Kufli, Kurima, Brushka Sa'dina, Milhamba, Diragznik, Ziuka Kandala, Ziuka Abbu, Bana Sura, Bisifki al-Kishk). The residents of these villages were forced to hide in valleys and ravines to protect their lives.

The government forces continued their advance until they reached the Mangishki region, where they headed to the Bamarni airport with the region's forces and made it their base of operations. And it divided it into four stations:

The first station: From Bamarni airport to Mount Matin and the west of the Barwari region.

The second station: From Bamarni airport to Bamarni from the upper side. 

The third station: From Sarsink to Ardna, Navila village, Mount Matin, Shilaza village.

The fourth station: From the Amidi region to the Amidi regions from the upper side, Jargal, and Kani Masi.

The major attack began on 20 August 1963 and the agent fighters (Jash) were divided into war arms. The government's attack initially achieved great progress on all sides, as they were able to seize Mount Matin and Bamarni, and Jamila Sur Bamarni and two Peshmerga were martyred. Chaos prevailed in the ranks of the Peshmerga Forces, some of them surrendered and threw down their weapons, while others went to Turkey. The Turkish government, in coordination with the Iraqi government, armed the Rikani agents in the Hakkari region. They captured a group of Peshmerga and handed them over to the Iraqi government.

Then the Peshmerga Forces were able to obtain a large number of weapons and Ammunition and re-arm themselves, and during 45 consecutive days of battles that continued to defend with the support and assistance of the National Defense forces, they adopted another plan of defense to attack the Iraqi Army led by Isa Suwar and his assistant Ali Halo by seizing Mount Matin under the name of the war of survival or annihilation. The first steps of the Peshmerga attack began in the village of Gabnirka on the night of 4-5 October 1963. The Peshmerga army was divided into several factions and attacked the army and the agents. They defeated them until dawn and defeated them from all sides. They were able to return the government forces to Bamarni airport, which was their base of operations, and regain Mount Matin.

After the defeat of the Iraqi and Syrian armies, they suffered heavy losses, including the destruction of most of the two armies, the Syrian Yarmouk and the Iraqi. They left 113 bodies on the battlefield, including a number of Syrian soldiers, and hundreds of others were wounded and several vehicles were destroyed. The gains of the Peshmerga in this battle included two 103 mm cannons, 400 rifles, 15 arrows, and a large quantity of Ammunition and Military equipment. The Peshmerga and National Defense forces also offered 36 Martyrs and 78 wounded in this battle.

The Peshmerga victory on Mount Matin raised the morale of the Peshmerga, and this victory was not only a victory for the revolution in Badinan, but it also eased the intense attacks and pressure that the Iraqi Army had been exerting on the Barzani since the month of June. The residents intended to flee to Turkey, but the victory gave them hope to return to their villages and homes.

Sources:

  1. Ghazi Adel Gardi, A Peshmerga in the Service of the Barzani Path, Haji Birokhi, Volume One, Second Edition, Turkey, 2021.

  2. Masoud Barzani, Barzani and the Kurdish Liberation Movement, Volume Three, Part One, September Revolution 1961-1975, Ed: First 2004.

  3. Hawkar Karim Hama Sharif, September Revolution 1961-1970, First Edition - Salahaddin University Press, Erbil, 2012.

  4. Hozhin Masoud Sarni, The September Revolution in the Behdinan Region 1061- 1975, First Edition, 2018.

  5. Wali Zubair Hostan, Some Events and Incidents in the Revolutions and Uprisings of Barzan, Ed: First, Rojhalat Press, Erbil, 2017.

  6. Ari Karim, Some Living Pages in the September Revolution, Khabat Press, Duhok 1999.

  7. Shawkat Mulla Ismail Hassan, Days in the History of the September Revolution, First Edition, Erbil, 2007.