A legend in khaki: Brig. Gen. (res.) Tzurie Sagi, who established the Kurdish rebel army, has passed away
Brig. Gen. (res.) Tzurie Sagi died today at the age of 92. During his 32 years in the IDF, he fought in the Battle of the Mitla, commanded the Paratrooper Reconnaissance Unit and the 890th Battalion, and participated in the Yom Kippur War. He will be remembered primarily for his secret mission in the 1960s: training the Kurdish underground and developing the combat doctrine that destroyed an entire Iraqi brigade.
Brig. Gen. (res.) Tzurie Sagi, a senior commander in the Paratrooper Brigade known for leading Kurdish rebels to historic victories over the Iraqi army, passed away on Wednesday at the age of 92.
Sagi, a native of Herzliya who grew up in Moshav Ein Vered, left behind a long-standing combat legacy spanning from the reprisal operations of the 1950s and the Yom Kippur War to secret missions overseas.
From a young paratrooper to commander of the 890th Battalion
Sagi's military career began in 1952 when he volunteered for the paratroopers. He progressed through the ranks, attending officer training and participating in numerous reprisal operations. During the Sinai Campaign, he commanded Company C of the 890th Battalion and fought in the Battle of the Mitla. He later served as commander of the Paratrooper Reconnaissance Unit (1959–1960) and spent time in Ethiopia training local army officers. From 1963 to 1965, he returned to the 890th Battalion as its commander. Later, he was sent to Iran to assist in organizing the defense of oil facilities in the Persian Gulf.
During the Six-Day War, Sagi was part of the airborne force intended to capture Sharm el-Sheikh. After the war, he served as deputy commander of the Paratrooper Brigade, fought in Operation Karameh, and served as the operations officer for the Central Command.
Hero of Kurdish autonomy in Iraq
The most extraordinary chapter of his service occurred in the mid-1960s, when he was sent to Kurdistan to assist rebels led by Mustafa Barzani. Sagi identified that the rebels needed to prepare for conventional warfare rather than just guerrilla tactics. He developed a combat doctrine suited to their needs, trained snipers extensively, and trained two assault battalions in Israel, in the Daliyat al-Karmel area.
In May 1966, Sagi's plan was put to a fateful test when the Iraqi army launched an attack with six brigades. Sagi lured the Iraqi 4th Brigade into a trap on Mount Handarin, where Kurdish forces, supported by artillery, completely destroyed it. An estimated 3,000 Iraqi soldiers were killed, forcing the remaining brigades to retreat. Sagi later led the capture of Mount Korak, which effectively trapped the Iraqi expeditionary force and forced the Iraqis to agree to the establishment of Kurdish autonomy. He returned to Kurdistan in 1974 to assist them once again.
From the Syrian War of Attrition to the Shlomo Region
In the early 1970s, Sagi was appointed commander of the 820th Territorial Brigade. At the outbreak of the Yom Kippur War, he was entrusted with the Meron district on the Lebanese border, and later took command of the 317th Reserve Paratrooper Brigade, which participated in the War of Attrition in the Syrian enclave.
After serving as an instructor at the Command and Staff College, Sagi served as commander of the Shlomo Region in the Sinai Peninsula from 1977 to 1980. His final position before his discharge from the IDF in 1984 was commander of the 81st Territorial Division. In 2012, the city of Ramat Gan awarded him the title of Honorary Citizen.
