Country: Iraq

Group: Kurds

Date Finalized: 10/18/2022

Team: Zaida Yancy Arellano Reyes (lead), Vianney Mancilla, Austin Evans, Esha Kubavat, Jhanz Garcia

Content Warning: Mass lethal violence, genocide

Approximate Time Period: 1988-2018

The Kurdish population has fought for autonomy since the 1920s. Still, Arab- and Turkic-dominated governments surrounding the Kurdish people have repressed their efforts (Castillo, 2021; Minority Rights, 2014). In the 1960s, the Iraqi government aimed to Arabize Kurdish villages. During  this process, the government forced out Faili Kurds and murdered approximately  8,000 Barzani Kurds (Kurdistan Regional Government, 2018). Again, in the 1980s, the Iraqi government deployed the Anfal campaigns (1987-1989) to eradicate the Kurdish population. The Iraqi government executed an estimated 180,000 to 185,000 civilians, including  mass killings of men and boys. The government ordered the destruction of Kurds villages,  ruining  their economy and infrastructure. The government unjustly imprisoned thousands of Kurds with women, children, and elderly people as their primary targets (Kurdistan Regional Government, 2018; Minority Rights, 2014; Human Rights Watch, 2009). On March 16, 1988, the Iraqi government used chemical weapons against the town of Halabja, instantly killing 5,000 Kurds and injuring 10,000 in one single attack. Survivors from the Halabja massacre still have severe health problems like respiratory issues, skin burns, and blindness, all consequences of the attack (Alexander, 2018; BBC News, 2018; Minority Rights, 2014; O’Leary, 2002). In November 2005, Faili Kurds suffered the bombing of two of their mosques. In July 2007, a truck bomb killed 105 and injured 250 civilians who frequented a Faili café (Refworld, 2017). Currently, the Kurds are still striving to create their own nation, Kurdistan. However, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey are opposing this idea (Minority Rights, 2014; Pasquini, 2018).

Data Quality: is 3/3. There is plenty of recorded evidence from reputable sources documenting lethal violence from the Iraqi government against the Kurds.

Sources

  1. Alexander, L. (2018). Halabja massacre: 30 years since Kurds were gassed by Saddam. Euronews. Retrieved October 12, 2022, from https://www.euronews.com/2018/03/16/ halabja-massacre-30-years-since-kurds-were-gassed-by-saddam#:~:text=Halabja %20-Comments massacre%3A%2030%20years%20since%20Kurds%20were%20gassed%20by%20Saddam, &text=Some%205%2C000%20people%2C%20mostly%20women,difficulties%2C%20blindness%20and%20residual%20burns.
  2. BBC News. (2018). 1988: Thousands die in Halabja gas attack. BBC ON THIS DAY. Retrieved October 12, 2022, from http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/march/16/newsid_4304000/4304853.stm
  3. Castillo, N. (2021). Future prospects for Kurdish political autonomy. Journal of International Relations. Retrieved October 12, 2022, from http://www.sirjournal.org/blogs/2021/4/18/future-prospects-for-kurdish-political-autonomy.
  4. Human Rights Watch. (2009). Genocide in Iraq. Human Rights Watch. Retrieved October 12, 2022, from https://www.hrw.org/report/1993/07/01/genocide-iraq/anfal-campaign-against-kurds.
  5. Kurdistan Regional Government. (2018). Anfal Campaign and Kurdish Genocide—Department of Information Technology, KRG. Retrieved October 12, 2022, from https://us.gov.krd/en/issues/anfal-campaign-and-kurdish-genocide/.
  6. Minority Rights Group International. (2017). Faili Kurds. Retrieved October 12, 2022, https://minorityrights.org/minorities/faili-kurds/.
  7. Minority Rights Group International. (2014). Kurds. Retrieved October 12, 2022, from https://minorityrights.org/minorities/kurds-3/. 
  8. O’Leary, C. A., (2002). The Kurds of Iraq: Recent history, future prospects. Middle East Review of International Affairs. 6(4), 17-29. Retrieved October 12, 2022, from https://ciaotest.cc.columbia.edu/olj/meria/olc02_01.pdf
  9. Pasquini, E. (2018). What’s Next for Iraq’s Kurds? Washington Report on Middle East Affairs. 37(1). Retrieved October 12, 2022, from https://web-p-ebscohost-com.ezproxy1.lib. asu.edu/ehost/detail/detail?vid=0&sid=88bf0ffb-df3a-47ce-9bbcbb65c457b37a%40redis &bdata= JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZSZzY29wZT1zaXRl#AN=126746778&db=jss
  10. Refworld. (2017). World directory of minorities and indigenous peoples – Iraq: Kurds. Retrieved October 19, 2022, from https://www.refworld.org/docid/49749d09c.html.