Barzani's jash campaign
| Barzani's jash Campaign | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Iraqi–Kurdish conflict | |||||||||
,_Mullah_Mustafa_Barzani,_Ahmad_Tofiq,_Jalal_Talabani_in_the_era_Iraqi%E2%80%93Kurdish_War_(about_1960-70_years).png) Mustafa Barzani in 1960 | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
 PDK Peshmerga |
Jash tribes First Republic of Iraq | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
|
Mustafa Barzani Ibrahim Ahmad |
Ahmed Agha X Sadeq Miran † Abdul-Karim Qasim | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| Unknown |
3,000 killed (Kurdish claim)[6][7] | ||||||||
| Many jash's fled to Iran and Turkey[6] | |||||||||
Barzani's jash Campaign was an campaign against Iraqi backed tribal groups during 1960–1961 commonly known as “Jash” in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. Mustafa Barzani's forces fought against rival Kurdish tribes armed and supported by the Iraqi government.
To weaken Barzani's influence, Iraqi leader Qasim allied with and armed Barzani's tribal enemies, including the Zebari, Surchi, Harki, Baradost, and others.[8][9][10][11][12][13]
Barzani responded by targeting these rival tribes, eliminating key enemies such as Ahmed Mohammed Agha, chief of the Zebari tribe, and waging fierce battles against the Harki, Surchi, and Baradost tribes.[8][9] Barzani claimed to have inflicted over 3000 deaths on his enemies, losses were considered heavy.[6][7]
In early 1961, Barzani's forces recaptured strategic areas including Zakho, expanding Kurdish control.[5]
The tribes fighting alongside the Iraqi government, known as "Jash" by many Kurds, were widely despised as traitors.[14][10]
The conflict escalated after government attempts to impose land reforms and taxes in Kurdish areas were rejected by tribal leaders, sparking a wider rebellion.[15][16]
In the spring of 1961, Barzani's forces made significant advances, isolating rival tribes as their alliances crumbled.[15]
Barzani’s consolidation of power led to heightened tensions with Qasim, who publicly disparaged Barzani and Kurdish nationalism.[8][11]
The conflict marked a proxy war between Kurdish nationalist forces and the Iraqi government, using rival Kurdish tribes as proxies.[9][11]
Assassination’s
[edit]Key assassinations occurred during this period, including the murder of Ahmed Mohammed Agha and the killing of Sadeq Miran, for which the KDP was blamed, resulting in the arrest and later release of Ibrahim Ahmad.[9][8]
By 1961, Barzani had expelled government officials from Kurdish territories and issued an ultimatum to Baghdad demanding Kurdish autonomy.[17][16]
Escalation into Direct Conflict with Iraq
[edit]By summer 1961, Barzani was working more closely with tribal rebels in the north while stepping up attacks on Jash forces loyal to Baghdad. In September, fighting intensified when an local tribe (the Arkou) attacked an Iraqi army column, prompting a direct response from the government. Qasim ordered airstrikes on Barzani’s positions, stopping his push near the border.[18][19] What started as indirect tension’s turned into open conflict, marking the beginning of the First Iraqi–Kurdish War.
References
[edit]- ^ Phebe Marr, The Modern History of Iraq, 4th ed., Routledge, 2018.
- ^ IBP, Inc., Kurdistan Investment and Business Guide Volume 1: Strategic Information, Regulations, Contacts, 2017, p. 14.
- ^ "Document 310: Research Study Prepared in the Bureau of Intelligence and Research". Foreign Relations of the United States, 1969–1976, Volume E–4. Office of the Historian, U.S. Department of State. May 31, 1972. Retrieved 2025-05-29.
- ^ IBP, Inc. Doing Business and Investing in Kurdistan Guide: Volume 1 Strategic, Practical Information and Opportunities. International Business Publications.
- ^ a b Dabrowska, Karen & Hann, Geoff. Iraq Then and Now: A Guide to the Country and Its People
- ^ a b c O'Ballance, E. (1995-12-18). The Kurdish Struggle, 1920-94. Springer. pp. 50–51. ISBN 978-0-230-37742-4.
- ^ a b O'Ballance, Edgar (1973). The Kurdish revolt: 1961-1970. Internet Archive. [Hamden, Conn.] Archon Books. p. 81. ISBN 978-0-208-01395-8.
- ^ a b c d Abdulla, Jamal Jalal. The Kurds: A Nation on the Way to Statehood, 2012, pp. 113-114
- ^ a b c d Entessar, Nader. Kurdish Politics in the Middle East, 2010, p. 81
- ^ a b Donabed, Sargon. Reforging a Forgotten History: Iraq and the Assyrians in the Twentieth Century
- ^ a b c Reisinezhad, Arash. The Shah of Iran, the Iraqi Kurds, and the Lebanese Shia, 2018
- ^ Sarkees, Meredith Reid; Dixon, William R. (2016). A Guide to Intra-state Wars: An Examination of Civil, Regional, and Intercommunal Wars, 1816–2014. CQ Press. ISBN 978-1-4833-8447-4.
- ^ Iraq's Final Offensive: A Staff Report to the Committee on Foreign Relations, United States Senate (Report). Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office. 1988.
- ^ Seddon, David. A Political and Economic Dictionary of the Middle East, 2013, p. 208
- ^ a b Degli Esposti, Nicola. Nation and Class in the History of the Kurdish Movement, 2022, pp. 365-368
- ^ a b Marr, Phebe. The Modern History of Iraq, 2018
- ^ Ibp Inc. Kurdistan Business Law Handbook, 2012, p. 14
- ^ Fadel, Kamaran Palani. Iraqi Kurdistan's Statehood Aspirations: A Political Economy Perspective. Taylor & Francis, 2022, p. 63. Google Books
- ^ McDowall, David. A Modern History of the Kurds. I.B. Tauris, 2004, p. 69. Google Books