Since the beginning of the Aylul Revolution, Abd al-Karim Qasim boasted in a press conference that he had "crushed" the revolution, but the initial victories achieved by the Kurdish revolutionaries in the Badinan region, on one hand, belied all the news and rumors that the government was publishing, and forced the government to rely more than ever before on the mercenaries of the region. This reliance by the government came from the fact that the army was not familiar with the nature, paths, and trails of the infantry in the rugged Kurdistan mountains, in addition to the fact that the army's morale had collapsed and it had no experience in guerrilla warfare.
In addition, the mercenaries from the Rikani tribe had fled to Turkey, where the Turkish government handed them over to the Iraqi side to return via Kani Masi to Mosul. These were mercenaries and their goal was to create a barrier between the Kurdish revolutionaries and the Kurdish villages in northern Kurdistan, which were sympathetic to the Kurdish revolution with everything they possessed. For example, one of the Peshmerga who participated in the events of that time noted and wrote: "A number of fighters from Kurdistan of Turkey arrived in the region to support Barzani and the revolution, and Sadiq Marinos was their commander, and he launched an attack on the mercenaries and dealt them a crushing blow."
The government sought with all its might to occupy the town of Zawita, and with the aim of strengthening the advance, it brought a large number of the army, police, and mercenaries to the region. The situation on the battlefront from the side of the revolutionaries was as follows: from the east, the front was led by Muhammad Amin Mirxan, Haji Biroxi, Mullah Shani Bidaruni, Haris Bidaruni, and Hadi Hasko, and Hasso Mirxan Zhazhuki was his assistant. As for the western front, it was led by commanders such as: Asad Khoshwi, Isa Siwar, Ali Khalil, Hasso Mirxan, Omar Agha Dolmari, and Suleiman Mirxan, and a large number of Peshmerga from the Kurdish tribes in Badinan participated in it, such as Mizuri Zheri, Barwari Zheri, Doski Zheri, Guli, Sindi, and Nerwiyi.
After the government army, which consisted of the commander of the Second Division in Duhok, in cooperation with the mercenaries and police, attempted to surround the Zawita region with heavy weapons using tanks, armored vehicles, and various artillery, and they split into two independent sections, one section headed directly towards the village of Zawita, while the other section, which was mostly mercenaries, headed towards the villages of Iminki, Bablo, Serk, Tinirka, then they met again in the village of Zawita. After they shelled the region with artillery, they began the attack. Mullah Mustafa Barzani was near the battlefront, and the Peshmerga were waiting for his orders. Initially, Barzani ordered the destruction of the main road leading to the region by the army in order to hinder the army's advance. Barzani's goal from this order was to occupy the army and liberate the Sarsing sub-district, where some mercenary outposts remained on the Zawita road.
The government forces that arrived in the Zawita valley in the period from 5 to 6 December 1961 had been surrounded by the Peshmerga from all sides and were attacked. As a result, the government forces retreated and chased the mercenaries to Amidi (Amadiya). Mullah Mustafa Barzani decided to liberate the Sarsing sub-district. This led to an elevation of the Peshmerga's morale. The forces headed towards Sarsing and contacted the government forces and the residents of the region, and seized the Sarsing police station. The aforementioned sub-district was liberated on 10 December without fighting. Thus, the Peshmerga forces gained full control over the Zawita valley, which was of strategic importance. The Sarsing region was an important gateway to reach the Zawita valley, in addition to the fact that the region overlooks the city of Duhok, and at the same time, the region was close to the headquarters of Barzani, which was in the village of Ger Braski. On the other hand, it was very close to the Qadish region, where the revolution established a hospital in the Inishki cave to transport the wounded quickly and protect the hospital from the danger of enemy shelling.
The gains of this battle were great in terms of morale, because the Peshmerga liberated Sarsing and chased the Rikani mercenaries, and it was a good boost just three months after the outbreak of the revolution. It also had a great echo, and people realized the fact that through self-sacrifice by the Peshmerga, the bitter reality of Kurdistan could be changed and victory could be achieved over the large state army. After that battle, the government fully realized the capabilities, courage, and faith of the revolutionaries.
As a result of that series of battles, and despite the many attempts made by the government to confront the revolutionaries and mobilize its forces in order to regain its positions and occupy the region again, after the Battle of Zawita Valley, the government suffered a greater defeat in the Lumana epic, which forced it to resort to negotiations.
Sources:1- Abdulfattah Ali al-Butani, Badinan Region 1925 – 1970, Vol. 2, Salahaddin University Press, (Erbil- 2017).
2- Hawkar Karim Hama Sharif, Aylul Revolution, Salahaddin University Press, (Erbil- 2012).
3- Masoud Barzani, Barzani and the Kurdish Liberation Movement, Volume Three, Part One, (Ministry of Education Press- 2004).
4- Rajab Jamil Habib, Amidi (Amadiya) 1921 – 1975, (Hawar Press- Duhok- 2012).
5- Shirzad Zakaria Muhammad, The Kurdish National Movement in Kurdistan of Iraq 8 February 1963 – 17 July 1968, (Spirez House for Printing and Publishing- Duhok- 2006).
6- Haji Mirxan Dolmari, Searching for Justice: Another Side of the History of the Revolution in Kurdistan 1943 – 1991, Volume One, (No place of publication- 2021).
7- Hozhin Masoud Sarni, Aylul Revolution in the Behdinan Region 1961 – 1975, Zakho Center for Kurdish Studies, 2018.
8- Ghazi Adel Gardi, A Peshmerga in the Service of the Barzani Path... Haji Biroxi 1916 – 1975, Volume One, Turkey.