A Peshmerga force commanded by Mahmoud Kawani and his assistant Khurshid Shera was stationed at Kospi Spi and the heights of Mount Sirini, east of the village of Piruswan, near the village of Barsirin on the Hamilton Road, with the intention of preventing any possible attack by the government army if it intended to attack Balakayati from Rawanduz. This is because in that very area, especially during the siege of the Rayat Qishla, the Iraqi Army carried out a major attack on Balakayati to break the siege on the Qishla, but it was defeated by the Peshmerga and a military battalion was completely destroyed.
After that battle, the Iraqi Army could no longer attack the area via this road, but it had stationed a military company and several mercenary (Jash) outposts near the village of Barsirin and Kospi Spi. The Peshmerga force that had taken up positions against the Iraqi Army outposts and the mercenaries numbered 20 Peshmerga. It is worth noting that the gunmen belonged to Sheikh Zaito and had two commanders named Aziz Khan and Jabo. Apparently, they had a relationship with the revolution, and for that reason, they often helped the Peshmerga with supplies, food, and ammunition.
One day, in one of the Peshmerga positions on the heights of Mount Sirini, which overlooks the location of the Iraqi Army camp opposite the village of Barsirin, when the soldiers were busy having lunch, the Peshmerga rolled a large boulder down. It fell into the camp and hit the pots and pans of food. The soldiers ran away and left the place, and by the next day, they had completely abandoned the camp.
On July 31, 1962, that Peshmerga force received news that the government intended to attack their positions. On August 2, 1962, at 5:00 AM, the news was confirmed and the attack began. The Peshmerga prepared to defend and divided into several fronts. It seems that because of their relationship with Sheikh Zaito's gunmen, they had no fear on the front facing them.
In one account, it is mentioned that an Iraqi Army position had been besieged by the Peshmerga, so the government intended to rescue them in this attack. For this, it had asked Izzat Sulaiman Beg to carry out a military campaign for that area because his gunmen were known for being brave and clever. The account also reveals that this provided an opportunity for Karim Khan Bradosti, who had left the ranks of the revolution during that period and joined the government, to participate in that battle and become a place of their trust.
At first, as always and according to the war plan, the attack began with a heavy bombardment of the positions with artillery and fighter jets. Then, from three fronts, the army and the mercenaries attacked the Peshmerga. Until 3:00 PM on the same day, the army and the gunmen continued their attack, and the Peshmerga were defending, but their ammunition and supplies were running low.
Apparently, the army and the mercenaries (Jash) realized this, so they wanted to advance to the top of the height to raise their flag and declare victory over the Peshmerga. The Peshmerga waited for them in ambush until they reached the height. At the moment they were busy raising the flag, they attacked them, shot several gunmen, and seized their weapons and ammunition, thereby managing to secure a quantity of bullets and ammunition. Then they launched a counter-attack, defeated the gunmen and Iraqi soldiers, and forced them to flee. The Peshmerga followed them until they forced them to retreat to the place from which they had come.
After the battle lasted 14 hours, the Peshmerga recorded a victory over the army and the mercenaries. The bodies of 12 soldiers and 4 mercenaries were left on the battlefield. Two Peshmerga were martyred and were buried right where they were martyred, and their graves remain in the same place to this day.
The Peshmerga's gains in that battle consisted of seizing 10 British rifles, a Bren machine gun, a radio device, and binoculars.
Sources:1- Masoud Barzani, Barzani and the Kurdish Liberation Movement, Volume Three, Part One, Aylul Revolution 1961-1975, First Edition 2004.
2- Khurshid Shera, Struggle and Blood, Memoirs of the Years of Peshmerga Struggle, Third Edition, Erbil, 2015.
3- Ghazi Adil Gardi, A Peshmerga in the Service of the Barzani Path, Haji Birokhi, Volume One, Second Edition, Turkey, 2021.
4- Ismail Gondezhori, The Aylul Revolution in Balakayati, Rojhalat Printing House, First Edition, 2018.
5- Zarar Sulaiman Beg Dargali, My Memoirs in the Years 1943-1977.