Ahmed Barzani revolt

Ahmed Barzani revolt
Part of the Kurdish–Iraqi conflict[2]
Mountain gun of the Iraqi Army column, 'Dicol', shelling Shirwan-A-Mazin from a hillside at Kani-Ling during the Ahmed Barzani revolt, June 1932
Date 1931–1932 Location Northern Iraq Result Iraqi victory Revolt suppressed Barzanis retreat to underground Low-level insurgency continues through 1933 Another revolt by Barzanis erupts in 1943
Belligerents
Iraq  United Kingdom  • assyrian Levies[1]	Barzan tribe
Commanders and leaders
Faisal I Edgar Ludlow-Hewitt	Ahmed Barzani Mustafa Barzani[3]
Units involved
RAF Iraq Command[3]

Ahmed Barzani revolt refers to the first of the major Barzani revolts and the third Kurdish nationalistic insurrection in modern Iraq. The revolt began in 1931, after Ahmed Barzani, one of the most prominent Kurdish leaders in southern Kurdistan, succeeded in unifying a number of other Kurdish tribes.^[4] The ambitious Kurdish leader enlisted a number of Kurdish leaders into the revolt, including his young brother Mustafa Barzani, who became one of the most notorious commanders during this revolt. The Barzani forces were eventually overpowered by the Iraqi Army with British support, forcing the leaders of Barzan to go underground.

Ahmed Barzani was later forced to flee to Turkey, where he was held in detention and then sent to exile in the south of Iraq. Although initially a tribal dispute, the involvement of the Iraqi government inadvertently led to the growth of Shaykh Ahmed and Mulla Mustafa Barzani as prominent Kurdish leaders. Throughout these early conflicts the Barzanis consistently displayed their leadership and military prowess, providing steady opposition to the fledgling Iraqi military. It is speculated that exile in the major cities exposed the Barzanis to the ideas of urban Kurdish nationalism.