In April Year 1974, the Ba'ath government decided to resume the war and intensified its attacks on the areas under the control of the revolution. The Erbil Plain force, led by Faris Baweh, withdrew from Erbil to outside the city, and its battalions were divided into battlefields to establish a defense line in order to prevent the Iraqi Army from advancing and attacking.

The force's headquarters was stationed on the mountain behind Birar and Takur, and the first battalion, led by Sayid Kaka, was stationed in the mountain range behind Baqut and Kumtal. The second battalion, led by Corporal Yasin was stationed in the Kumsapan Strait, while the third battalion, led by Ahmed Haji Ali, was stationed on Mount Bawaji. Two companies belonging to the force's headquarters remained in the Bistana area, and the newly established Sefin and Azadi forces were on alert from Mount Sefin to the mountains of Bawaji and Haybat Sultan. The officials and administrators of the Kurdistan Democratic Party were fighting on the battlefield alongside the Peshmerga forces.

In early May Year 1974, the Iraqi Army, reinforced by tanks and armored vehicles, attacked the Peshmerga positions from two axes. The first axis began to advance from Sari Rash. The second axis, the forces that were deployed on the outskirts of the Kumsapan Strait, began to advance and launched their military campaign. The Peshmerga forces began to strengthen their defense line and confronted the army, and both sides suffered losses, but due to the large number of army soldiers and at the same time their presence in an offensive position, they suffered greater losses than the Peshmerga forces.

The Iraqi Army initially failed to overcome the Peshmerga forces and breach the defense line, but after four hours of continuous fighting, it was defeated. However, the artillery of the Sari Rash and Kumsapan Strait bases did not stop shelling and harassed the Peshmerga forces, and the Peshmerga defense line was not strong enough to withstand all this shelling. The next day, the army attacked the Peshmerga positions again, and the Peshmerga forces in this battle suffered heavy losses, as five Peshmerga members were martyred and 11 others were wounded.

As a result of the difficult situation created by the government's attack and the countless army supported by tanks, artillery, and aircraft, the Peshmerga forces could not withstand the large-scale government attack, but rather retreated to the villages of Ziyarat and Susa by order of the high command, then continued their advance to the Darband mountains reaching the village of Diri, and the main road between Erbil and Koisanjak (Koya) was seized.

  Sources:

1- Karwan Jawhar Muhammad, Idris Barzani 1944-1987 Life and Political and Military Role in the Kurdish Liberation Movement, (Hevi Printing House - Erbil - 2019).

 

2- Sangar Ibrahim Khoshnaw, Military Events of the Aylul Revolution 1970-1975, First Edition, (Erbil - 2022).

 

3- Sayid Kaka, Memoirs of a Peshmerga, Ministry of Culture Printing House, First Edition, (Erbil - 1997).

4- Khurshid Shera, Struggle and Blood, Memoirs of the Peshmerga Years, Third Edition, (Haji Hashim Printing House - Erbil - 2015).