When the Iraqi government declared war against the September Revolution and launched a large-scale attack against Kurdistan in 1974, even though the Iraqi Army had focused its attacks on Balekayeti due to the presence of the revolution's leadership headquarters in that area, it did not neglect any areas under the control of the revolution. Instead, the military operation of the Iraqi Army covered all areas of the revolution. The Peshmerga Forces in Duhok were continuously shelling the Iraqi Army convoys on the Aloka road. In the west of the city of Duhok specifically, a group of Peshmerga who were performing their duties in the Simte cave in that area had a 120 mm mortar in their possession; their task was to blow up the Iraqi Army vehicle convoys if there were many military movements in the area.

At the beginning of October 1974, nearly 10 military vehicles and armored cars were with a member of the Ba'ath Party leadership named Abdulfattah Yasin, who was heading towards the base of the 18th Force of the 1st Division of the army. The Peshmerga targeted and shelled them with the mortar they had in their possession. During this, a mortar shell hit an armored vehicle, and as a result, all the soldiers inside were killed. After the aforementioned returned to Mosul, he gathered all the military units and mercenaries (jash) in that area and attacked the Peshmerga Forces to capture Black Mountain, Tehta Cave, and Simte Cave.

The Iraqi Army units in the attack on the areas under the control of the revolution consisted of the 18th and 5th forces, the 2nd Division, artillery, and the mercenaries of the Kochar, Doski, Surchi, Zebari, and Herki tribes. As a result, a fierce battle broke out that lasted for eleven days. To assist the battlefields, each of the Ali Alî Battalion and the Mirani Battalion came to the battlefield as support forces. The Iraqi Army attacked Black Mountain for the first time, which was defended by the 1st Battalion of the Duhok forces under the command of Neaman Semed. Initially, the Iraqi Army began the attack by shelling the Peshmerga positions and that mountain, and then the infantry forces and mercenaries attacked Black Mountain. Due to the heavy shelling and the presence of 5 martyrs and nearly 40 wounded, the army took control of Black Mountain on the first day of the attack.

Afterwards, the Duhok force placed four machine guns, a 120 mm mortar, and an 82 mm mortar at Kevre Biske, Tehta Cave, and Simte Cave opposite Black Mountain to shell the army on Black Mountain, so as not to allow the Iraqi Army to establish a strong position and secure its military points. The force commander Abdulrezaq Germavi personally supervised the shelling. A week later, they planned a counter-attack. For the attack, they formed a force of 40 elite Peshmerga under the leadership of Qadir Alekini, most of whom were from the engineering department of the Duhok force. With a solid military plan, they marched at night and hid in a thick forest at the foot of Black Mountain; they had brought all military equipment and food with them.

The Peshmerga's attack plan was to stop the shelling the next day at sunset and suddenly attack the military bases. The map went as planned. Also, in the west of Black Mountain, the order was given to the 1st Battalion that if 40 Peshmerga started moving from their positions, they should attack the mountain from the side that was on alert. When the attack from both sides began, the fighting continued for an hour. In that hour, the Peshmerga were able to control the entire mountain, inflicting heavy losses on the Iraqi Army soldiers and mercenaries: 21 killed and many wounded, while others fled. 6 soldiers were taken prisoner and sent to the leadership in Balekayeti.

The Peshmerga's gains in this battle were 14 Kalashnikovs, one RPG, a large number of various types of ammunition, and nearly 10,000 different mines that they could not plant, which fell into the hands of the Peshmerga. Also, many 60, 82, and 120 mm mortar shells, clothing, and military equipment were seized. In the epic of the capture of Black Mountain, the losses of the Peshmerga Forces were 6 Peshmerga martyred and 20 wounded. It is worth mentioning that after this attack, the Iraqi Army did not launch any other attacks on the Peshmerga forces in Duhok province until the defeat of the revolution in 1975.

Source:
  1. Masoud Barzani, Barzani and the Kurdish Liberation Movement, Volume III, Part II, The September Revolution 1961-1975, First Edition – Erbil, 2004.
  2. Senger Ibrahim Khoshnaw, Military Events of the September Revolution 1970-1975, 1st Edition, Danishfar Press, Erbil, 2022.
  3. Hojin Masoud Serni, The September Revolution in the Behdinan Region 1961 – 1975, 1st Edition, 2018.
  4. Ibrahim Jalal, South Kurdistan and the September Revolution, Construction and Destruction 1961-1975, Fourth Edition, 2021.