In February 1963, when the Baathists took power in Iraq, until they solidified their position, they conducted a few months of superficial negotiations with the leaders of the Kurdish revolution. However, it did not take long before, like the regime of Abd al-Karim Qasim, they became restless and the idea of purging the Kurds and pursuing the revolution took root in their minds. Once again, they began attacking and raiding the revolutionary areas in Soran, Badinan, Garmian, etc., meaning in all areas of the revolution, extensively and with a decisive plan, with the intention of implementing what the previous regime could not achieve.
The Iraqi Army's attack this time on the Barzan region began via two divisions from the Mergasor, Ble, and Rezan areas in coordination with the mercenary (Jash) fighters of the Sofi, Surchi, and Herki tribes, along with the fighters of Asaad Shitnayi, supported by heavy aerial bombardment and destructive artillery shelling. After the Peshmerga forces, under the pressure of shelling and bombing, withdrew from their positions in the Spilik area to the Balak mountain and Bradost towards the Mergasor area, the Iraqi Army was able to take control of Spilik, Gali Ali Beg, and Mount Korek. By doing so, it removed a major obstacle that the Peshmerga had established as a defensive line to stop the advances of the attacking force towards the Barzan region.
When the Peshmerga forces reached the vicinity of Mergasor, by the order of Barzani, the leader of the revolution, they set up a defensive line from Gali Zarara and Gali Bani to Gali Sarke and the foothills of Mount Piran. Under the command of Luqman Barzani, who was the general commander of that battle axis, he organized the flanks of the defensive line as follows: Haji Berokhi and Mustafa Nerwayi took positions in Gali Bani in front of the army and the Jash; Mire Sheroki, Salim Cheyi, and Sergeant Yasin were stationed at the foothills of Mount Piran; Kako Mergasori and Haso Mirxan Zhazhoki were in Keli Bni Bia; Chawshin Baydi, Hamad Agha Mergasori, and Mustafa Rasho Ali Agha Kaklayi were stationed in the Kolana Hanjirok ravine behind the village of Zhazhok; Mullah Amin Hostani was in Kolana Dari, and Ahmed Mustafa was in Gali Pirambas on the main road; furthermore, Hassan Khal Hamza established a strong position on Mount Albat behind the Duri cave behind the village of Kuran. These commanders, whose names were mentioned, along with their entire forces, fortified the area in front of the army and the Jash forces.
The Iraqi Army and the mercenary (Jash) fighters gathered in Goratu near Mergasor as a base of operations and departure. Daily, with the support of aircraft, tanks, armored vehicles, and advanced heavy and light weapons, they attacked the Peshmerga positions. The Peshmerga forces resisted them with light weapons, Brno rifles, British rifles, and Bren machine guns, defeating them with a load of dead and leaving behind a number of corpses. The Iraqi Army tried several times to advance from the village of Korke near Goratu towards the heights of the village of Bani but could not advance due to the strong defense established in the gorge, despite the heavy shelling and intense bombardment by warplanes on the Peshmerga positions.
On August 24 1963, the attack by the army and mercenary (Jash) fighters advanced in the line around the village of Kuran, supported by artillery shelling and aerial bombardment. On the ground, the infantry forces, which consisted of tanks, personnel carriers, and armored vehicles, confronted the Peshmerga with DShK, machine guns, and all their military capabilities. In this attack, despite inflicting a major loss estimated at about 100 soldiers and Jash from the attacking force, against the martyrdom of one Peshmerga and the wounding of 6 others, the force was defeated.
In one of the Iraqi Army's campaigns that covered all battle fronts, they were able to advance in some places due to the depletion of ammunition and explosives, but in a counter-attack, the Peshmerga forces were able to defeat them and pursue them to the village of Male Swar, which had a positive role in boosting the morale of the Peshmerga.
In August 30, the army and the mercenaries launched another campaign in broad daylight against the Peshmerga positions in Kolana Dari along to Mount Piran. The Peshmerga stood against them and did not allow them to advance until late in the evening when the battle continued. That time, too, they defeated their attack, and 62 soldiers and 14 mercenaries were killed, many of whom left their corpses at the foot of the mountain and were forced to retreat. In this attack, the Peshmerga forces had 8 martyrs and 22 wounded as a result of a napalm bomb falling inside a Peshmerga trench during mealtime.
The Iraqi government, after all those successive campaigns it launched against the Peshmerga positions, could not overcome them and did not see any progress, so it thought of other plans to break that defensive line and advance towards Chame and Sherwan Mazn. Therefore, on August 31 1963, the day after the attack, two planes appeared in Gali Zarara and went to Mount Piran, dropped soldiers, and established an artillery battalion. From there, they shelled the Peshmerga positions in Kolana Dari. Later, a warplane circled over the Peshmerga positions and sprayed prohibited gas (acid) over the Peshmerga positions, as a result of which 4 Peshmerga were martyred and 6 others were severely wounded. In addition, due to heavy shelling, two Peshmerga were martyred and one other was wounded.
After the Iraqi Army exceeded all moral and humanitarian values in using prohibited weapons (acid) to overcome the Peshmerga, and also due to the exhaustion of the Peshmerga and the disparity in terms of power and weapons, the general commander of the axis, Luqman Barzani, ordered the withdrawal of the Peshmerga forces from that defensive line on all battle fronts to the village of Khalone, the Chame bridge, and the side of Sherwan Mazn.
In 17 of September 1963, the Iraqi Army once again, under the command of Brigadier General Ibrahim Faisal al-Ansari, commander of the Second Division, and Colonel Saeed Hamo, commander of the brigade, intensified its attacks on the positions of the Peshmerga this time, with the participation of many Jash and the support of tanks, artillery, armored personnel carriers, and all kinds of heavy and light weapons. Luqman Barzani, the general commander of the Peshmerga forces, reorganized another line of defense as follows: the Haji Birokhi front in the valley of Khalona village, the Ahmed Mustafa Kanyelnji front in the Barki Braymok near Musa Maghreb, the Mustafa Nerwayi front in the Chilan valley, and Hamid Afandi near the Banakani Faq Pir, as well as the Salim Cheyi and Arif Yasin Doski front in the Hore valley.
The army and the mercenaries (Jash) crossed the Rukuchki Chame river and began their attack on the center of the Peshmerga defense line. As soon as they reached the village of Khalona, they immediately burned it. A force of the army and Jash moved directly towards the Ahmed Mustafa Kanyelnji front and engaged with the Peshmerga, turning into hand-to-hand combat and conflict. When the other Peshmerga fronts saw the situation this way, a Peshmerga force went to support this front, which led to causing great damage to the attacking force, especially the killing of a large number of Jash. After the army and the mercenary forces (Jash) reached the bends of Sherwan Mazn, Luqman Barzani, who was in the village of Zarget, ordered the Peshmerga commanders to fortify the Chilan valley and for other forces to go behind Sherwan and Qalat and take up positions against the advances of the army and the Jash.
In this attack by the Iraqi Army, commanded by Brigadier General Ibrahim Faisal al-Ansari along with the commander of the 5 brigade, Colonel Saeed Hamo, they suffered heavy losses, as an entire battalion was destroyed and left about 120 corpses on the battlefield, and the division commander, al-Ansari, almost fell into the hands of the Peshmerga himself. All the soldiers who fell into the hands of the Peshmerga were released, meaning they were allowed to flee and return to their bases.
After this battle, the situation of the Iraqi Army was greatly disrupted, so al-Ansari informed the Chief of Staff of the Army, Tahir Yahya, by telegram and proposed a peaceful solution and negotiations. The Chief of Staff replied that they had no objection to contacting Sheikh Ahmed Barzani, the Sheikh of Barzan. Thus, on 22 of September 1963, al-Ansari sent a letter through Saeed Asaad Shitnayi to Sheikh Ahmed, in which he asked him to send a delegation to him and to Erbil Governorate for discussion and agreement. Sheikh Ahmed, after consulting with Mustafa Barzani the leader of the revolution, decided to reply to al-Ansari with a letter.
Sheikh Ahmed Barzani, in response to al-Ansari's letter, sent a letter and a three-person delegation consisting of his nephew Sheikh Suleiman and his two sons, Muhammad Khalid and Nazir, and negotiations began between them. The government's demand was that the Barzanis must lay down their arms, but Sheikh Ahmed's demand was that the army and the Jash must leave Barzan. Later, they agreed that Barzani, at the request of Sheikh Ahmed, would leave the Barzan region on 10 of October 1963 and come to Soran and the Balakayati region. The war and aggression in the Barzan region ended, and peace and tranquility prevailed in the region.
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