Battle of Nalos

Battle of Nalos
Part of Kurdish separatism in Iran
Date March 1947 Location Nalus, Iranian Kurdistan 36°59′00″N45°08′38″E / 36.98333°N 45.14389°E / 36.98333; 45.14389 Result Peshmerga victory
Belligerents
Peshmerga	Iran
Commanders and leaders
Mustafa Barzani Tafrashiyan	Jahanbani  (POW) Colonel Kalashi  † Fouroughi  †
Units involved
Peshmerga	Imperial Iranian Army Imperial Iranian Air Force
Strength
Unknown number of soldiers 2 75mm cannons	1 regiment
Casualties and losses
Unknown, likely low	50 killed
class=notpageimage| Location within Iran

The Battle of Nalos was a military engagement during the Peshmerga's withdrawal from the recently dissolved Republic of Mahabad which took place during mid-March 1947.

Background

Main articles: Republic of Mahabad and Iran crisis of 1946

Following the Allied invasion of Iran in late August 1941, the Kurdish Republic of Mahabad was established under the leadership of Qazi Muhammad in January 1946, being invaded and re-incorporated by Iran in December the same year. Following this, Mustafa Barzani and his forces from Iraqi Kurdistan (the Peshmerga), which had formed the backbone of the Republic's forces, went on a campaign to withdraw back into Iraq. During this, the Iranian army made multiple attempts to intercept the Peshmerga, failing to engage the rebels until March 1947, when Barzani decided to engage the Iranians.

Battle

The battle started as an ambush carried out by Barzani's forces. During the battle, the Peshmerga had access to two 75 mm artillery cannons under the command of former Iranian officer Tafrashiyan; The Peshmerga were able to effectively use the artillery, resulting in a high number of Iranian casualties, including the death of Colonel Kalashi, the commander of the Iranian regiment. Additionally, Peshmerga forces captured numerous Iranian officers and soldiers, further degrading military strength and cohesion. The battle would result in a Peshmerga victory, allowing Barzani and his forces to withdraw to Iraqi Kurdistan.

External links

• Eagleton Jr., William (1963). The Kurdish Republic of 1946. Oxford University Press.
• Waisy, Karwan Salih (2015-07-15). "The Kurdish Peshmarga Force 1943-1975". Global Journal of Human-Social Science. 15 (D2): 27–46. ISSN 2249-460X.