On the night of 11/12 November 1986, the Iraqi Army began its attacks on the areas surrounding Zakho with the support of artillery and warplanes, where the headquarters of the Zakho Local Committee of the Kurdistan Democratic Party is located. The military attack by the army and government armed forces included the Dalayi heights, and as a result, communications between the Zakho Local Committee and the Peshmerga Forces in the area's mountain were cut off from other areas. To deliver the news of this government attack, the Duhok Local Committee contacted the revolution's leadership to inform them of the existence of fierce fighting on the border between Duhok and Zakho, and warplanes were intensively bombing the Peshmerga positions. As a result of this bombing, an elderly man in the village of Kani Pong named Haji Nabi was martyred, along with the wounding of four women and children. The aircraft also continued bombing the village of Zewe near the headquarters of the First Branch of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, and another elderly man was martyred there.

It seems that the Iraqi government's goal in attacking the Peshmerga headquarters and positions in the Badinan region was to suppress the voice and color of the revolution in the face of the activities and attacks that were continuing in various areas in the form of guerrilla warfare against government forces, including striking guard posts and military headquarters and setting ambushes on roads, which undoubtedly caused great loss of life and property to the Iraqi military forces on the one hand, and on the other hand, put the government in a dangerous situation where it never felt comfortable. This is because the branches, local committees, organizations, and Peshmerga Forces had been distributed across the areas such that each one was active within the scope of its authority.

The attacks by the army and government armed forces continued on the Peshmerga headquarters and positions for several days on the borders of both Duhok and Zakho. On 13 November 1986, the Duhok region informed the revolution's leadership that the government had intensified its attacks on the Zakho area and had seized the local committee's headquarters, and that the aircraft were continuing to bomb the area. It is worth noting that the Peshmerga Forces defended and dug in against the government forces, especially the advance of the mercenary gunmen (Jash), and thwarted their attacks at four o'clock in the evening on 14 October 1986.

The attacks by the Iraqi Army and its armed forces on the revolution's areas showed that the government was always trying to extend its authority over all parts of Kurdistan, silence the revolution in all areas, and disrupt its activities.

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. Shimal Zebari, Some Hidden Truths in the Gulan Revolution, First Edition, Rojhalat Printing House, Erbil – 2015.

  3. Haji Mirxan Dolamari, In Search of Justice, Volume One, Second Edition, Kurdistan – 2021.