Introduction

This book is a simple and short look into the history of Southern Kurdistan between 1958 and 1991. It covers important events, revolutions, and the struggles of the Kurdish people during this time. My goal is to help readers — especially those who may not know much about Kurdistan — understand what happened and why it matters.

The Kurdish people have always fought for their rights, their land, and their identity. In these years, many brave men and women, including the Peshmerga, stood up against oppression. This book tells some of their stories and explains the key moments that shaped modern Kurdish history.

1: Before the Storm — Kurdistan and Iraq Before 1958

To understand the revolutions that took place between 1958 and 1991, we first need to look at the situation before 1958. After the fall of the Ottoman Empire, the Kurdish people were divided across several countries, including Iraq. Southern Kurdistan became part of the newly formed Iraqi state after World War I, under British control.

The Kurds were promised autonomy by many powers, but those promises were never kept. In Iraq, the Kurdish people faced political oppression, forced Arabization, and cultural suppression. They were often treated as second-class citizens in their own land.

By the 1940s and 1950s, Kurdish movements began to organize. The Barzani family, especially Mullah Mustafa Barzani, became symbols of Kurdish resistance. After being forced into exile in the Soviet Union for several years, Mullah Mustafa returned to Iraq in 1958, when a revolution overthrew the monarchy and brought General Abd al-Karim Qasim to power.

This change gave the Kurdish people hope — but that hope would soon turn into another chapter of struggle.

Chapter 2: The 1958 Revolution and Kurdish Hopes

In July 1958, Iraq’s monarchy was overthrown by a group of army officers led by General Abd al-Karim Qasim. The new government promised reforms and freedom for all Iraqis, including the Kurds. For a short time, hope returned to Southern Kurdistan.

Mullah Mustafa Barzani returned from exile with thousands of followers. Qasim welcomed him, and the Kurds believed they might finally get their autonomy. Barzani began working with the new government and called for Kurdish rights to be respected.

However, the relationship between Qasim and Barzani didn’t last long. The government feared Barzani’s popularity and his leadership of the KDP (Kurdistan Democratic Party). Qasim wanted control, while the Kurds wanted real autonomy.

By 1961, tensions had reached their peak. The Iraqi army was sent into Kurdish areas. Villages were bombed. Kurdish fighters — the Peshmerga — rose again to defend their land.

A new phase of the Kurdish revolution had begun.

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Chapter 3: The First Kurdish War (1961–1970)

The war that began in 1961 lasted nearly a decade. The Peshmerga, led by Mullah Mustafa Barzani, fought bravely in the mountains against a larger and better-equipped Iraqi army.

Kurdish villages suffered. Many were destroyed. Thousands of civilians fled their homes. But the Kurdish spirit remained unbroken.

The KDP organized resistance and gained support from parts of the Kurdish population. However, they also faced challenges: lack of resources, internal divisions, and shifting regional politics.

During these years, Barzani built connections with foreign countries, including the United States and Iran, in hopes of gaining support for the Kurdish cause.

By the late 1960s, after years of fighting, the Iraqi government saw it could not defeat the Kurdish movement easily. In 1970, the regime offered peace.

But as history would show, peace with Baghdad rarely lasted.

Chapter 4: The 1970 Peace Agreement – A Promise Broken

In March 1970, after nearly a decade of war, the Iraqi government signed a peace agreement with Mullah Mustafa Barzani and the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP). The deal offered autonomy for the Kurdish people, recognition of the Kurdish language, and promised development in Kurdish regions.

For the first time, it seemed like a peaceful future might be possible. Schools began teaching in Kurdish, and Kurdish officials were appointed in some areas. Barzani and the KDP paused military activities and focused on building institutions.

But behind the scenes, tensions remained. The Iraqi regime, led by Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr and his deputy Saddam Hussein, had no real intention of giving true autonomy. While peace was on the surface, the government built new military bases in Kurdistan, and secretly worked to weaken the Peshmerga.

By 1974, the regime passed an Autonomy Law that was far weaker than what was promised. Barzani rejected it. Once again, war returned to Kurdistan.

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Chapter 5: Betrayal in 1975 – The Algiers Agreement

In the new war of 1974–75, the Kurds were supported by Iran, which gave weapons and political backing to Barzani. However, this support came with a hidden danger.

In March 1975, Iraq and Iran signed the Algiers Agreement. In exchange for control over parts of the Shatt al-Arab waterway, Iran withdrew all support for the Kurdish movement.

The Kurds were left alone, surrounded by the Iraqi army. The revolution collapsed. Thousands of people were forced to flee to Iran and Turkey. Mullah Mustafa Barzani left for exile in the United States, heartbroken and betrayed.

The dream of autonomy was crushed — but the Kurdish fire did not go out.

Chapter 6: 1975–1980 – Silence, Survival, and the Rise of a New Generation

After the 1975 collapse of the revolution, Kurdistan entered one of its darkest periods. The Iraqi regime, now fully under the control of the Ba'ath Party and Saddam Hussein, intensified its Arabization policies. Kurdish villages were destroyed, families were relocated, and Arabic was forced into Kurdish schools and institutions.

Many Peshmerga fighters were either killed, arrested, or forced into exile. The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) lost much of its power, but it was not the end.

In these years of silence, new movements began to form underground. A younger generation of Kurds, many inspired by socialism, nationalism, and freedom, started organizing. This included the founding of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) in 1975, led by Jalal Talabani, a former member of the KDP.

The PUK took a different path — operating from the mountains and cities, forming alliances with student movements and intellectuals. It was a time of quiet preparation — the calm before the next storm.

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Chapter 7: The Iran–Iraq War and the Return of Resistance (1980–1988)

In 1980, Iraq invaded Iran, beginning a long and bloody war. This war gave the Kurdish movements a new opportunity. Both the KDP and PUK reorganized and rearmed. While Iraq focused its forces on the Iranian front, the Kurdish Peshmerga launched a new wave of resistance in the mountains.

This period saw fierce battles between the Kurdish forces and the Iraqi army. Villages became battlegrounds, and thousands of civilians were caught in the middle.

The Ba'ath regime responded with brutal violence. Saddam Hussein viewed the Kurds as enemies of the state — especially those who cooperated with Iran.

This led to one of the most horrific crimes in Kurdish history: the Anfal Campaign.

Chapter 8: Anfal and the Genocide of the Kurdish People (1986–1989)

Between 1986 and 1989, the Iraqi regime launched a military operation known as the Anfal Campaign, named after a verse in the Quran that refers to the spoils of war. But this was not a war — it was a genocide.

Under the command of Ali Hassan al-Majid, also known as “Chemical Ali,” the Ba’ath regime began a systematic campaign to destroy the Kurdish people. Entire villages were bombed, burned, and erased from the map. Men and boys were taken away and executed. Women, children, and the elderly were forced into camps or left to die in the mountains.

It is estimated that over 180,000 Kurds were killed during Anfal.

The most infamous moment came on March 16, 1988, when the town of Halabja was attacked with chemical weapons. Over 5,000 civilians died within hours — babies, women, and the elderly, choking on poison gas.

The images of Halabja shocked the world. But international powers remained mostly silent.

Anfal was not just an attack on people — it was an attempt to erase Kurdish identity, history, and existence.

Yet, even in the face of such cruelty, the Kurdish spirit survived.

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Chapter 9: The 1991 Uprising – A Nation Rises Again

In 1991, after Iraq’s defeat in the Gulf War, Kurdish cities erupted in a mass uprising. The people, tired of decades of suffering, stood up against the regime.

For the first time, Kirkuk, Slemani, Duhok, and Hewlêr were in Kurdish hands. The Peshmerga returned, and people flooded the streets with Kurdish flags.

But Saddam responded with force. Hundreds of thousands of Kurds fled toward the borders of Iran and Turkey, fearing another massacre. These images reached the world, and finally, the international community acted.

The United States and its allies established a no-fly zone over parts of Southern Kurdistan, allowing the people to return and rebuild.

This marked the beginning of a new era — the foundation for what would become the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.

Chapter 10: The Struggle Continues – Lessons from 1958 to 1991

The years between 1958 and 1991 were full of pain, betrayal, and resistance for the Kurdish people. From the promises of autonomy to the tragedies of Anfal and Halabja, the Kurds endured what few nations have. But through every hardship, they held onto something powerful — hope.

This book does not tell every detail, nor does it claim to speak for all Kurds. But it honors those who fought, those who suffered, and those who never gave up on the dream of freedom.

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Kurdish cause is not just about borders — it’s about identity, language, dignity, and justice. The Peshmerga who climbed mo.