The battle of Ziyoki village took place during Gulan Revolution and on April 15, 1983, in the Badinan region between a force of the Peshmerga and a large force of the Iraqi Army, as the Iraqi Army attacked Ziyoki village in the Mankishke region with the aim of restoring the government's power and dominance in the region. While the Iraqi Army was searching the village, a Peshmerga force that was patrolling and searching in the area learned of the attack, and the army attacked them. After several hours of fighting, they were able to inflict casualties on them, capture a number of soldiers and one officer, and defeat the Iraqi Army and expel them from the region.
The civil war in 1983 had occupied the Kurdistan political parties to such an extent that they had gathered most of their forces from the front line in the Qandil region, while most of the Peshmerga forces had moved to the fighting region of Badinan. Only a few small forces remained, which often looked forward to visiting the revolution's organizations and carrying out various activities. It is clear that the Iraqi Army saw this situation as an opportunity to impose the government's authority and dominance over the areas that were not under its control, known as the liberated areas and subject to the dominance of the revolution. Those areas were under the control of the Peshmerga forces, and the government's authority there was weak, so it suddenly launched military attacks to displace the Peshmerga from them and seize them.
On the morning of April 15, 1983, a large force of the Iraqi Army launched a surprise attack on the Mankishke region. In the darkness of the night, they surrounded Ziyoki village, then descended into the alleys and began searching the village from house to house. Some citizens who were in the ranks of the popular resistance left the village after learning of the army's attack, but the government forces confronted them and opened fire on them from all sides, and clashes occurred between the two parties. At that moment, a Peshmerga force led by Muhammad Murad was present in the Mankishke region, consisting of 15 individuals, and they had nothing in their hands but one RPG shell and a 75 mm cannon. The Peshmerga force headed to the attack site as soon as they heard the gunfire, and when the Peshmerga forces arrived near Ziyoki village, they met with the popular resistance body and told them that the Iraqi Army forces had attacked the village and were searching the houses. The Peshmerga forces planned to confront them and distributed themselves at several points, and approached the government forces and saw that they were stationed from Ziyoki village to the Mankishke road. The Peshmerga forces attacked the Iraqi Army forces from all positions, and the fighting continued, and they carried out one attack after another, and suddenly they created an unexpected situation for the government forces. The fighting continued from the morning until nine o'clock, and the Peshmerga forces were able to disperse the Iraqi Army forces. Then the Peshmerga forces chanted slogans such as "Long live the revolution" and "Long live the Peshmerga forces," amidst the ululations of the village people with the sounds of the RPG shell and the cannons, which caused a state of anxiety among the army soldiers and their morale dropped, and they fled from the village until they reached the Mankishke road, dragging the tails of the great defeat.
The Iraqi Army suffered heavy losses in the attack, as a number of soldiers were killed and dozens of corpses were left on the battlefield, and a captain-ranked officer and 15 soldiers were captured, along with the seizure of three Racal-type wireless communication devices, in addition to the seizure of three 60 mm cannons and a large quantity of cannon shells. More than 15 light weapons of the Kalashnikov type, one pistol, and a large quantity of ammunition and military equipment also fell into the hands of the Peshmerga.
After the government withdrew its forces, six helicopters flew in the sky of the region and bombed it intensively, and the bombing continued until late in the evening, which led to setting fire to the citizens' fields and forests. It is clear that this behavior followed by the Iraqi government in every battle and confrontation, and in the bombing and air raids, the villages of Kurdistan did not escape, including the defenseless civilians in the areas, which led to them suffering heavy losses.
The Iraqi Army's attack and its defeat at the hands of the Peshmerga forces had many consequences, such as raising the morale of the Peshmerga forces and strengthening the citizens' confidence in the courage and resistance of the Peshmerga forces. It was also completely clear to the government and military forces that despite the large number of troops supported by weapons, ammunition, tanks, artillery, and aircraft, they would suffer a major defeat before the Peshmerga. It is a brave and fighting force that will not give up defending the whole land of Kurdistan, in addition to its great echo in the region and its surroundings, and this was one of the major defeats inflicted on the Iraqi Army within the borders of the First Branch of the Kurdistan Democratic Party.
This was the reason for the entry of President Masoud Barzani on the line, as he sent a message of thanks to the Ranjbaran organization, and the news was broadcast on the Voice of Kurdistan Iraq radio. The broadcasting of the news confirms the fact that the revolution's media department achieved some progress during this period, and that the level of work and activities covered a large area and gathered around it specialized cadres with experience, and the situation of the revolution's media was at an important and advanced level.
Sources:
1- Masoud Barzani, Barzani and the Kurdish Liberation Movement, Volume Four, 1975-1990 Gulan Revolution, Part Two, First Edition, (Roxana Printing House - 2021).
2- Muhammad Murad, The Struggle of the Mountains: Memories and Events of the Gulan Revolution between the years (1976-1989), (Kurdistan Printing House - Zakho - 2007).
3- Sayed Kaka, Memories of a Peshmerga, First Edition, (Roshnbiri Printing House - 1997).
4- Nuri Hama Ali, History of the Struggle of a Peshmerga between Life and Death, Second Edition, (Shahab Printing House - Erbil - 2016).