On the night of November 11/12, 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 Regional 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 Regional Committee and the Peshmerga Forces in the area's mountain were cut off from other areas. To convey the news of this government attack, the Duhok Regional Committee contacted the revolution leadership to inform them of the presence 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 Pung named Haji Nabi was martyred, along with the wounding of four women and children. The aircraft also continued bombing the village of Ziwah near the headquarters of the First Branch of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, and another elderly man was martyred there.

It seems that the goal of the Iraqi government in attacking the headquarters and positions of the Peshmerga 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 outposts and military headquarters and setting ambushes on roads, which undoubtedly caused significant losses in lives and property to the Iraqi military forces on one hand, and on the other hand, put the government in a dangerous situation where it never felt comfortable. Because the branches, regional committees, organizations, and Peshmerga Forces had been distributed across the areas such that each one of them was active within the scope of its authority.

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

The attacks of the Iraqi Army and its armed forces on the areas of the revolution 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.