The beginning of the establishment of the Balak Force dates back to the year 1962 when it was organized within the framework of a battalion. In the year 1963 the organization of the Kurdistan Democratic Party became two main parts: political and military. The political part consisted of party organizational work, but they also often participated in defense trenches and military campaigns. Later, the Peshmerga part expanded and was organized within the framework of forces, battalions, branches, and platoons. In the year 1965 the Balak battalion had seen significant progress and became a large organized force that included four battalions. It assumed the task of defense and military campaigns for the strategic locations of Balakayati, Rawandiz, and the areas of the region. Then, in the year 1975 it was further developed due to the increase in the Peshmerga force and the expansion of the border, which resulted in three other forces.
The Balak Force was also one of the forces that covered a wide geographical area of the Balakayati, Bradost, Rawandiz, Rosti Valley, Balakiyan, Khanaqa, and Akoyan regions. Initially, the command of this Peshmerga force was under the responsibility of Mullah Taha, Mina Agha, and Qadir Agha, and later Colonel Aziz Akrayi, Colonel Kafi Nabawi, Abdullah Ismail, and Mullah Mator supervised that force.
In the year 1964 in Galala, the revolution leadership formed a battalion of the Peshmerga force under the command of Abdullah Agha Pishdari and Ghazali Mirkhan Barzani, and later Sadiq Afandi was his deputy. Franso Hariri was the administrative and intelligence officer, Faris Shukri was the political guide among the Peshmerga, Dawood Abdullah was the director of the office of the pen, and Sergeant Kardo was the battalion supply officer. Muhammad Amin Kret was the Head of Branch of the battalion headquarters, Abdulrahman Ismail Aqrawi was the engineering department, Taha Muhammad Sharif was the battalion signal officer, and Muhammad Kolekayi was the head of the headquarters guards.
The battalion consisted of 8 branches. The Heads of Branch were:1- Haji Birokhi
2- Hassan Khal Hamza
3- Sergeant Yasin
4- Hadi Hasko
5- Mustafa Salih Nerwayi
6- Mullah Amin Barzani
7- Izzat Suleiman Beg
8- Rais Kamal, an Arab person, was the Head of Branch of the Communists.
The Balak Peshmerga Force from battalion to forceIn July 1965 Mustafa Barzani, the leader of the revolution, decided that the Fifth Balak Battalion should be expanded and reorganized in the form of a force, which had four battalions and later increased. All forces throughout Kurdistan were to come directly under the supervision of Barzani. Abdullah Agha Pishdari was the force commander, Sadiq Afandi and Abdulrazaq Betoshi were deputies, Franso Hariri was the force protection officer, Hassan Nas was the administration officer, Judge Sadiq Khoshnaw was the finance officer, and Taha Muhammad Sharif Akrayi, Nuri Haidar, Mawlud Ibrahim, and Awdaullah Mullahzada were each for a period the head of the force intelligence department. Dawood Abdullah was the force pen officer, and Hamadamin Kret and Hamid Ahmad Qalasnji were each for a period the Head of Branch of the force headquarters.
The battalions of the Balak Force in the year (1965-1970)1. First Battalion
Haji Birokhi was the battalion commander, and Naji Beg and Sergeant Yasin were each deputies for a period. Hamid Saeed was the battalion finance and pen officer, and the following were its Heads of Branch.
1- Zakri Yahya
2- Musa Shemed
3- Jadir Muhammad Mizuri
4- Abdulrahman Darwish Akrayi
5- Yasin Birokhi
6- Shwan Dari
7- Jawhar Bersiavi
8- Ali Shakak
The platoon leaders were Aziz Khan, Dasko Haji Birokhi, Hussein Suri, Saeed Ibrahim, Sheikh Homer, Mamand Agha Delze, Sabah Mirka Khailani, Abdulrahman Darwish Akrayi, and Kamal Shawqal.
2. Second Battalion
Mustafa Nerwayi was the battalion commander and Muhsin Haji Nerwayi was the deputy. Hussein Fatah was the battalion administration officer, and the following were its Heads of Branch
1- Hamid Afandi
2- Mirkhan Hamadamin Mirkhan
3- Chawshin Khano
4- Hadi Hasko
5- Osman Salih Nerwayi
3. Third Battalion
Mullah Amin Barzani was the battalion commander and Omar Sayyid Nabi was the deputy. Haji Muhammad supervised its administration, and its Heads of Branch consisted of:
1- Sayyid Salim Sayyid Nabi
2- Hamaziyad Faqiani
3- Osman Hujrani
4- Mirka Khailani
5- Zubair Ali
6- Suleiman Abdullah
7- Shakir Beg Gardi
4. Fourth Battalion
Izzat Suleiman Beg was the battalion commander and Muhammadamin Faqi Hassan was the deputy. Its Heads of Branch consisted of:
1- Sayyid Mustafa
2- Majid Beg
3- Sayyid Abdullah
4- Mam Elias Rawandzi
5- Rais Kamal was the Head of Branch of the Communists
The Balak Force in the second phase (1970-1975)After the agreement of 11 March 1970 the Border Guard Regiment (Haras al-Hudud) was formed in the Balak Force area according to a government decision, which consisted of 500 Peshmerga. Abdullah Agha Pishdari became the regiment commander, Haji Birokhi was the deputy, and Hamid Afandi was his assistant. Dawood Abdullah became the assistant deputy, and teacher Mullah Omar Mullah Osman was the regiment imam. The company commanders consisted of:
1- Mustafa Salih Nerwayi
2- Izzat Suleiman Beg
3- Mullah Amin Barzani
4- Sergeant Yasin Doski
5- Hamadamin Mirkhan Mergasori
The following were the platoon commanders, which consisted of 18 platoons:
Asaad Ali, known as Fathi, Hassan Khidr Rasho, Sayyid Salim Nabi, Osman Salih Nerwayi, Muhsin Haji Salih, Chawshin Khano, Wasman Abdullah Hujrani, Zubair Ali, Bejan Jundi, Sayyid Abdullah Nabi, Aliko Nabi, Azizkhan Muhammad, Hali Muhammad Dolamari, Jadir Muhammad Mizuri, Musa Shemed, Shwan Dari, Chawshin Ubaid Muhammad, and Ramazan Muhammad Faqi.
Also in this regiment, there were 9 commissioners, 6 company master sergeants, 29 sergeants, 74 deputy sergeants, and 124 first-line guards. Those who did not have a place in this regiment, anyone who was previously a government employee returned to their previous work, and the others were registered and were given monthly assistance from the force and battalion headquarters and were ready when needed. Nasar Hassan, as the force commander, supervised them.
The Balak Force in the third phase of the year (1974-1975)After the resumption of the war in 1974 the Border Guard Regiment (Haras al-Hudud) was dissolved and the Balak Force was re-established on a broader scale. Abdullah Agha Pishdari was reappointed as the force commander, and each of the following were appointed for a period as deputy commanders: Lieutenant Younis Rojbayani, Captain Adel Akrayi, Captain Warya Marouf, and Captain Azad Miran. The force headquarters consisted of several main sections such as administration, finance, artillery, engineering, anti-aircraft, intelligence (signals), protection, popular defense, civil defense, health, court, depot, and warehouse.
1. Administration Section
Hassan Nasir was the person in charge, and Hamid Ahmed was the Head of Branch of the headquarters.
2. Finance Section
Judge Sadiq Khoshnaw was the person in charge and Idris Hadi was his assistant.
3. Artillery Section
It was an active and prominent part of the force for supporting the Peshmerga. The types of artillery were 60 mm, 81 mm, 82 mm, and 120 mm mortars, 25 caliber guns and 122 mm, and 155 mm field guns. Although the guns were old and not very good, and artillery shells were scarce, the Peshmerga of the artillery were very skilled and capable; when used on the battlefronts, they were very effective in demoralizing the enemy and inflicting heavy losses on them. The Peshmerga who belonged to the artillery were Hali Dolemari, Omar Osman, Corporal Sheikha, Hamadamin Rashashchi, Abdulrahman Bisheyi, Dilawar Fayaq, Lieutenant Khadr Alwan, Lieutenant Anwar Miri, Lieutenant Khadr Dabbagh, Faryad Qadir, Asaad Ali, Corporal Jabbar, Corporal Asaad Karwanchi, Corporal Sadiq Qadir, Jalal Suleiman Ashgayi, Mohammed Mahmoud Harki, Warrant Officer Jamal, Mam Tofiq Dargali, Mustafa Dolemari, Omar Agha Dolemari, and Ali Miste Barzani. Each of Hali Dolemari, Ali Miste Barzani, Mustafa Dolemari, and Omar Agha Dolemari had undergone training on using 120 mm mortars in the country of Iran, according to an agreement between the revolution leadership and Iran.
4. Engineering Section
It was an important part of the Peshmerga force within the revolution. The task of the Peshmerga of this section was laying and removing mines when necessary. They also defused bombs and napalm that did not explode during the Iraqi Army's bombardment and used their gunpowder to manufacture mines.
The Peshmerga of the engineering section were Lieutenant Yusuf Petros, Abdulrahman Ismail Akrayi, Tariq Abu al-Lihya, Haji Ibrahim Korri, and Mohammed Amin Rashid Korri.
5. Anti-Aircraft Section
This was also a very important part of the Peshmerga force to reduce the threat of air power over the revolution's areas. The weapons of the anti-aircraft force consisted of 12,5 mm, 14,5 mm, and 32 mm DShKs. Because the weapons were old, they were not very effective against the advanced aircraft of that time, but the Peshmerga who were specialized in using those weapons were able to shoot down several Iraqi Army aircraft of the types Ilyushin, MiG 19, Badger, and MiG 21.
6. Intelligence (Signals) Section
This section had been established since the beginning of the formation of the Balak Force, and it played a very important role in transmitting messages from the revolution leadership to the battlefronts and vice versa. Initially, it was managed by Taha Mohammed Sharif, Hoshyar, and Mawlud Ibrahim. In the year (1970-1974) it was given great attention and Abdullah Malazada was the general person in charge. Their equipment consisted of five main wireless sets and several Russian 104 and 105 sets, an (aircraft listening) radio set, and 80 (walkie-talkie) sets that were distributed to the front lines of the Peshmerga defense trenches.
All the Peshmerga of the intelligence (signals) of the force were ready on the front lines of defense when necessary, directly delivering the leadership's orders to the trenches. They also delivered news of the Peshmerga's front-line activities to the leadership and the Voice of Kurdistan radio station, and through the station, the news was broadcast throughout Kurdistan. In addition to delivering news, the force's wireless sets, through (listening) devices, monitored the movements of the Iraqi Army's artillery, tanks, aircraft, and infantry. They knew where the army wanted to attack or where it would bombard, and they immediately informed their superiors. The leadership would then set the necessary plan for confrontation and defense or withdrawal from those places. Whenever the wireless sets were strong, they would deal heavy blows to the Iraqi Army.
7. Protection
This section was managed by Abdulrahman Abu Auf, and Abdulrahman Gardi was his assistant. Lieutenant Hajar Kirkuki was for a period the person in charge of the protection of the Akoyan Valley, and after that, Osman Khoshnaw replaced him. Their task was to collect intelligence on government forces.
8. Popular Defense
This force was formed in the year 1969 for two reasons: one was to be vigilant behind the battlefronts in case the government landed forces by helicopter and captured the heights behind the Peshmerga trenches; the second was to assist the battlefronts when necessary. For that purpose, people from the residents of the villages of the Balak border were registered under the name of the Popular Defense Force and it was named the (Karokh) force, and weapons were distributed among them. For a period, Sheikh Mohammed Harsin was the force commander and Hassan Nasir was his deputy. After him, Abdullah Agha supervised it and Hassan Nasir assisted in its management.
9. Civil Defense
When soldiers of the Iraqi Army were killed on the battlefronts and their bodies were left on the battlefield, the Civil Defense would bring them back and bury them according to Islamic Sharia. They also provided assistance and guidance to the residents of the area during aircraft bombardment and buried the bodies of the martyrs. Jawhar Hirani supervised the work and Mullah Ibrahim Rizani was his assistant.
10. Health
This section provided a great service to the Peshmerga. The Balak Force had a private hospital managed by the medics Ahmed and Maghdid Fatah. In the year 1974 the hospital was developed and Dr. Khosraw Jamil Dizayi and Dr. Kurdo each supervised it for a period, and the medics assisted them.
11. Court
The court was one of the institutions of the revolution. In the Balak Force, there was a court section that Judge Hassan Pishdari supervised. In the year 1974 Judge Saeed Yaqubi, Judge Tofiq, and Judge Hussein Khoshnaw became assistants. Teacher Mullah Qadir Saktani, the Qadi of Galala, and Teacher Mullah Wais, the Qadi of the Rosti Valley, cooperated and coordinated with the judges from the perspective of Sharia, and with the help of experts in the customs and traditions of Kurdish society, they resolved problems and issued appropriate decisions regarding literacy, land, and family issues to bring about reconciliation between the disputing parties.
12. Depot and ammunition and explosives warehouses (Makhazin)
In this section, Captain Wrya Maruf was the supervisor, and Lieutenant Jamal, Lieutenant Fuad, and Baqi Maruf were his assistants for providing military supplies, and for a period, Chief Warrant Officer Salih was the responsible.
Battalions of the Balak Force in the year (1974-1975)1. First Battalion
The structure of the battalion was as follows: Haji Birokhi was the Battalion Commander, Hamid Said Gurgo was the Administrative responsible, and its Heads of Branch were these:
Musa Shemed, Zikri Yahya, Ali Shakak, Jadir Muhammad Muzuri, Sabah Mirka Khailani, Mamand Mustafa Dilzeyi, Yasin Birokhi, Jawhar Bersiavi, and Said Ibrahim Kaletoki.
2. Second Battalion
The Battalion Commander was Mustafa Nerwayi and Osman Stah Nerwayi was his deputy, and its Heads of Branch consisted of these:
Abdulwahid Nerwayi, Chawshin Khano, Hussein Fatah Nerwayi, Muhsin Haji Nerwayi, and Abdullah Mullah Khidr.
3. Third Battalion
Mullah Amin Barzani was the Battalion Commander and Haji Muhammad was the deputy, and the following were its Heads of Branch:
Wasman Hujrani, Said Salim, Hama-Ziad Faqiani, Salih Akoyi, Zubair Ali, and Sulaiman Abdullah Charboti.
4. Fourth Battalion
The Battalion Commander was Izzat Sulaiman Beg and Muhammad Amin Faqi Hassan was the deputy, and these were its Heads of Branch:
Said Mustafa, Majid Beg, and Muhammad Maruf.
5. Fifth Battalion
Sergeant Yasin was the Battalion Commander and Ramazan Muhammad Doski was the deputy, and its Heads of Branch were these:
Shwan Dri, Azizkhan Mohajer, and Hamid Bir Doski.
6. Sixth Battalion
Said Asi, Bejan Jundi, and Hamid Afandi were each the Battalion Commander for a period, and its Heads of Branch were these:
Hussein Hamadol Balaki, Wasta Ismail, Ali Sor, Ismail Haji Qadir, and Farzanda Afandi.
7. Seventh Battalion
The Battalion Commander was Aliko Nabi and Said Abdullah Nabi was the deputy, and its Heads of Branch were these:
Mullah Sheikh Muhammad, Hadi Sulaiman Nabi, and Sergeant Ibrahim Abdullah.
Balakayati in the year 1975In the year 1975, the Balak Force saw further expansion; its border became a sector supervised by Idris Barzani, Abdullah Agha Pishdari had become the Force Commander at that time and a member of the General Military Bureau, and along with Franso Hariri, both were his assistants in managing the sector. The Balak Force was divided into several forces and their geographical borders were determined as follows:
1- Balak Force
Its mission and duties border were from the Beshe Pass, Hassan Beg Mountain, Ashi Khidr Agha, Sari Bardi, Musakawa River up to the main Jundian-Galala road. Ali Khalil was the Force Commander and Lieutenant Yunis Rozbayani was his deputy. It included four battalions, which are:
1. First Battalion - Haji Birokhi
2. Second Battalion - Mustafa Nerwayi
3. Fifth Battalion - Sergeant Yasin
4. Sixth Battalion - Hamid Afandi
2- Handren Force
The border of this force was from the main Jundian – Galala road up to the Akoyan Valley and Korak. Initially, Sulaiman Haji Badri was appointed as the Force Commander, then Izzat Sulaiman Beg became the commander of the force. Its battalions were:
1. Third Battalion of Akoyan
2. Fourth Battalion of Handren - Seventh Battalion of Aliko
3- Sarchiya Force
The Force Commander was Mirxan Hamadamin Mirxan, Salih Muhammad Kakshar was the deputy, and Ahmad Salih Bakr was the Administrative responsible. The force consisted of these four battalions:
1. First Battalion, Ahmad Hassan Sulaiman was its commander.
2. Second Battalion, Mahdi Hassan Doski was its commander.
3. Third Battalion, Shabaz Ahmad Shabaz was its commander.
4. Fourth Battalion, Mame Ibrahim Koramarki was its commander.
4- Zozk Force
The Zozk Force consisted of those Kurdish Military who had left the ranks of the Iraqi Army and had joined the ranks of the Kurdistan Revolution Army in the year (1973-1974). The force consisted of three regiments:
1. First Regiment, Captain Hassan Barzani was its commander.
2. Second Regiment, Lieutenant Yunis Rozbayan was its commander.
3. Third Regiment, Captain Adil Akreyi was its commander.
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Ismail Gundazhori: Aylul Revolution in Balakayati, Rojhalat Printing House, first edition, 2018.
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Ghazi Adil Gardi: A Peshmerga in the service of the Barzani path, Haji Birokhi, first volume, second edition, Turkey, 2021.
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Abdullah Rahman Malazada: The form of military structure Aylul Revolution the Great, second edition, Duhok, 2012.
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Hawkar Karim Hama Sharif: Aylul Revolution 1961-1970, first edition - Salahaddin University Printing House, Erbil, 2012.
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Sangar Ibrahim Khoshnaw: Military events of the Aylul Revolution 1970-1975, first edition, Erbil, 2022.
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Umar Osman: Life of a Kurd, Mukriyani Printing House, second edition, first and second volumes, 2008.
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