After the Baathists seized power in Iraq through a military coup, they halted their attacks and battles on Kurdistan for three months, but the Baathists soon resumed their attack on Kurdistan once again. The Iraqi Army's plan at that time was focused entirely on the Spilik area, with the goal of reaching Barzan from there and gaining full control of the region.
The government forces in this attack consisted of the Second Division, which includes the brigades (2, 5, 19, 25, 27, 29), under the command of Staff Colonel Ibrahim Faisal al-Ansari, who was appointed as the general supervisor of this military campaign. Brigade Commander Saeed Hammo was also given full authority due to his intense hatred and anger toward the leadership of the revolution and the Kurdish people.
On June 29, 1963, a major battle broke out in Darband-i Kora and continued until the evening. As a result, the Peshmerga forces withdrew from that valley, but they were unable to establish a defense line in the Mirawa gorge, the Harir plain, and other places until they reached the heights of Spilik. From there, they deployed in strategic positions and blocked the advance of the Iraqi Army. The government forces also reached the Harir plain and established a camp there.
Staff Colonel Kafi Nabawi was assigned to the general command of the Peshmerga forces in this battle, and the commanders of the forces were: Haji Birokhi, Kako Mergasori, Mustafa Neroyee, Mullah Amin Hostani, Jadir Goyzi, Hama-Ziad Faqiani, Izzat Sulaiman Beg Dargali, Hamid Beri and Corporal Yasin, where each of them was stationed in a combat axis.
The Iraqi Army's plan to attack Barzan aimed to be executed by two divisions simultaneously: the first division from Mount Pires and the second division from Spilik. After the Peshmerga forces retreated from Haybat Sultan, the government pushed part of its forces to those forces stationed in the Harir plain, but the Third Brigade in Khalifan and Balkian was besieged by the Peshmerga forces, and supplies and food were cut off from them, and they were on the verge of surrender. But when another Iraqi military force reached the Harir plain, hopes returned to them, and Hussein Surchi, the mercenary leader, also helped them in providing supplies and food.
The forces were positioned opposite each other for a period of time, and in Bani Harir as well, a force of Peshmerga was stationed and did not allow the Iraqi Army to advance from the Harir plain. One day, a military helicopter flew over the Peshmerga positions on the Spilik heights, and the Peshmerga showered it with a hail of fire from their positions. The plane left the area quickly and landed in the Harir plain. After that, the Iraqi Army began intense shelling of the Peshmerga positions and set fire to the area. Sometimes, due to disagreements between the Peshmerga commanders and their failure to return to coordinate and consult with each other, the balance of power is negatively affected, disturbances arise in the ranks of the Peshmerga, and morale collapses in their positions.
A force of Peshmerga led by Lieutenant Colonel Aziz Akreyi was sent to Spilik to support the combat front, although he did not have any responsibility in this axis. One night, Sulaiman Shawli Shandari sent a force of Peshmerga to the village of Bardin in the south of Spilik without coordination with Staff Colonel Kafi Nabawi, under the pretext of confiscating weapons from the village residents, apparently due to suspicion of their cooperation with the Iraqi Army. The villagers confronted the Peshmerga forces and a fierce fight broke out between them, and the Peshmerga leader Sulaiman Shawli Shandari and three Peshmerga were martyred, and their bodies were left on the battlefield. When the news reached the Peshmerga forces, another force led by Haji Birokhi attacked the gunmen in the village from the Sinaw line for rescue, and although they defeated them, four Peshmerga were martyred and two others were wounded, then their forces withdrew.
After that disagreement and chaos that arose in the ranks of the Peshmerga forces, the Iraqi Army launched a large-scale attack on the Spilik front on July 15, 1963. At the same time, rumors spread among the Peshmerga that the siege imposed on the 3rd Brigade in Khalifan had been lifted and that they had taken control of the Ali Beg valley. Therefore, after fighting that lasted for several hours, the Peshmerga forces withdrew on July 16 from the Spilik heights and the Iraqi Army took control of it.
Sources:1- Masoud Barzani, Barzani and the Kurdish Liberation Movement, Volume Three, Part One, September Revolution 1961-1975, First Edition, 2004.
2- Ghazi Adel Gardi, A Peshmerga in the Service of the Barzani Path, Haji Birokhi, Volume One, Second Edition, Turkey, 2021.
3- Zarar Sulaiman Beg Dargali, My Memoirs in the Years 1943-1977.
4- Shawkat Mullah Ismail Hassan, Days in the History of the September Revolution, First Edition, (Erbil - 2007).
5- Ari Karim, Several Living Pages in the September Revolution, Khabat Press, (Duhok - 1999).
6- Haji Mirhan Dolamari, Searching for Justice, Volume One, Second Edition, (Isra Press - Tehran - 2021).