The Battle of Kirkuk () was one of the biggest battles of the

1991 uprisings in Iraq The 1991 Iraqi uprisings were ethnic and religious uprisings against Saddam Hussein, Saddam Hussein's Ba'athist Iraq, Ba'athist regime in Iraq that were led by Shia Islam in Iraq, Shia Arabs and Kurds in Iraq, Kurds. The uprisings lasted f ...

Prelude

Following the outbreak of unrest in

Basra Basra () is a port city in Iraq, southern Iraq. It is the capital of the eponymous Basra Governorate, as well as the List of largest cities of Iraq, third largest city in Iraq overall, behind Baghdad and Mosul. Located near the Iran–Iraq bor ...

on 1 March and the spreading of conflict to other cities, Iraqi forces stationed in

Kirkuk Kirkuk (; ; ; ) is a major city in northern Iraq, serving as the capital of the Kirkuk Governorate. The city is home to a diverse population of Kurds, Iraqi Turkmen, Iraqi Turkmens and Arabs. Kirkuk sits on the ruins of the original Kirkuk Cit ...

were put on alert. Kurdish neighborhoods of Kirkuk were put under a curfew and 10 March and patrols were increased throughout the city. Reinforcements were also brought in from other parts of Iraq, where the uprising had already largely been defeated, and

Ali Hassan al-Majid Colonel General Ali Hassan al-Majid al-Tikriti (; – 25 January 2010), was an Iraqi military officer and politician under Saddam Hussein who served as Defense minister, Interior minister, and chief of the General Security. He was also the ...

, the leader of the

Al-Anfal Campaign The Anfal campaign was a counterinsurgency operation which was carried out by Ba'athist Iraq from February to September 1988 during the Iraqi–Kurdish conflict at the end of the Iran–Iraq War. The campaign targeted rural Kurds because its pu ...

, was put in control of the city's security. After the establishment of the curfew government security forces began going door to door, rounding up men who could possibly be a threat to the regime. These men were then taken to compounds outside of Kirkuk, where they were endured brutal conditions including torture, and were held until mid April whereupon most were released, although on the condition that they could not return to Kirkuk. Those detained who had military experience were not released. Most of the men detained were Kurdish, and ranged in age from early teens to their fifties. In total more than 5,000 were detained, with most making their way to Kurdish controlled Iraq after their release.

Aftermath

Following the failed uprising the government expelled over 120,000 Kurds from Ba'athist controlled Northern Iraq, with the majority of those expelled being from Kirkuk and the surrounding villages.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kirkuk 1991 1991 Iraqi uprisings Collective punishment Military history of Kirkuk Iraqi war crimes Torture in Iraq March 1991 in Iraq Violence against men in Asia 1991 crimes in Iraq Persecution of Kurds in Iraq 20th century in Kirkuk 1991 in Iraqi Kurdistan Crime in Kirkuk

Prelude

Aftermath

References

See also