The leadership of the Aylul Revolution believed that it was necessary for the Peshmerga forces to move from a state of defense to a stage of attack and recapture those areas that the Iraqi Army, with the support of the air force, tanks, artillery, armored vehicles, and the armed men of the old Politburo, had seized. Just as in the end of 1968 and throughout 1969, it launched an intense military campaign on most areas of Kurdistan. In the autumn of 1969, the Peshmerga forces carried out a series of operations on several areas of Sulaymaniyah and Garmian and achieved victory in them. The government's authority and the forces of the old Politburo were expelled from them, and the places returned under the authority of the revolution, such as the areas of Marga, Surdash, Qaradagh, and Garmian.
The plan of the revolution leadership this time was the liberation of Piramagrun and its surroundings. This campaign of the Peshmerga was entrusted to the Rizgari Force, part of the Halgurd Force, a large part of the Peshmerga of the Qaradagh Force, and the Shwan Battalion. The responsibility for the campaign was placed on the shoulders of Peshmerga Commander Rashid Sindi, but the field attack command was entrusted to Hamid Barwari, Hamasur Hussein, Abdulrahim Barzani, Haji Sheikh Qadir, and Sayyid Asi. Sami Abdulrahman was the general supervisor of the battle. Also, the residents of the area expressed their readiness and cooperation to support the Peshmerga forces.
October 18, 1969, was the date the attack began. The map of the campaign was drawn up in such a way that from the very beginning, the Peshmerga were advancing until they were able to take control of Piramagrun in a short time. They were also able to take control of the Halaj peak, which is a strategic location in the area. This campaign of the revolution also included Dolerut, Khamza, and Qaidan, and they fell into the hands of the Peshmerga. Within 24 hours, the armed men of the old Politburo force who had spread in the area and were in support of the Iraqi Army scattered like flour in thorns. The government forces suffered heavy casualties, which were estimated at 120 killed, and their bodies were left on the battlefield.
The behavior and actions of the forces affiliated with the old Politburo with the areas they seized were such that anyone who had the ability to carry a weapon was forcibly armed and used for their own benefit. Their officials, in partnership and coordination with army officers, prepared payrolls in the names of those armed men and divided the money among themselves. This was a clear and visible motive for the armed men to leave the ranks of the mercenaries whenever the opportunity arose and join the ranks of the revolution. This proves the fact that one of the results of that battle and the return of the revolution's authority to the Piramagrun area was that a large number of the armed men of the aforementioned forces joined the Peshmerga and joined the revolution.
It is worth mentioning that due to the defeat that the Ba'athist government had suffered at the end of 1969 at the hands of the Aylul Revolution , the state of the country reached a stage where it could no longer withstand the war of the Kurd and continue it, due to the poor economic and financial situation as the state treasury had become empty due to war expenses. Also, the existence of internal problems within the Ba'ath Party, which at that time still could not put the important state institutions such as the army, police, and security forces under their control and play with them as they wished, because they had many opponents within those institutions. Therefore, they were forced to think of other solutions, which were dialogue and a peace agreement.
Sources:1- Sangar Ibrahim Khoshnaw, Military Events of the Aylul Revolution 1970-1975, First Edition, Erbil, 2022.
2- Masoud Barzani, Barzani and the Kurdish Liberation Movement, Volume Three, Part Two, Aylul Revolution 1961-1975, First Edition – Erbil, 2004.
3- Khoshawi Ali Kanyalanji, Memoirs of Aziz Qazi Hamad Surchi, Daneshfar Printing House, Erbil, 2023.
4- Ari Karim, Several Living Pages in the Aylul Revolution, Khabat Printing House, Duhok 1999.
5- Karwan Johar Muhammad, Idris Barzani 1944-1987 Life and Political and Military Role in the Kurdish Liberation Movement, Hevi Printing House, Erbil, 2019.