The Battle of Tuz Khormato was fought during 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 ...

between the

Peshmerga The Peshmerga () are the internal security forces of Kurdistan Region. According to the Constitution of Iraq, regional governments are responsible for "the establishment and organization of the internal security forces for the region such as p ...

and

Iraqi forces The Iraqi Armed Forces are the military forces of the Republic of Iraq. They consist of the Ground forces, the Army Aviation Command, the Iraqi Air Force, the Air Defence Command, and the Iraqi Navy. The armed forces are administered by the Min ...

. Tuz Khormatu, a predominantly Turkmen town, was one of the most southernly towns to fall under the control of the Peshmerga then retaken by Iraqi government forces.

Prelude

Tuz Khormato's importance lay in the fact that it was situated on the

Baghdad Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...

–

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 ...

road, meaning that any government reinforcements to Kurdistan would have to pass through the town. The defence of Tuz Khormato was therefore given a high priority in order to defend Peshmerga positions in Kirkuk.

Uprising

10–12 March

The uprising began between 10 and 12 March. Peshmerga forces had been gathering outside of the town and had organised a plan with sympathetic residents whereby at a specific time residents would begin a massive demonstration that would be joined within 2 hours by more heavily armed Peshmerga fighters. The initial stage of the uprising also received a moral boost from the defection of local militiamen. Most Ba'athist forces fled from the town without resistance, however the town did see fighting at the local Ba'ath Headquarters between the Peshmerga and Ba'athist officials and policemen, which resulted in the deaths of several pro-government forces.

Government counter-offensive

15 March

Three days after the town had fallen into the hands of the Peshmerga the Ba'athist loyalist forces arrived on the outskirts of the town. The army advanced on the town from three directions, but stopped 1 km short of the city, proceeding to bombard the city through use of artillery, killing large numbers of people. Peshmerga forces returned fire with mortars and RPGs. By the fourth of fifth day of the uprising Iraqi Air Force helicopters had arrived in the area to help the army with the bombardment, and proceeded to drop napalm and phosphorus onto the town. Despite Peshmerga attempts to hit the helicopters, they were able to largely operate unmolested.

17 March

Realising that their control of the town was unsustainable, the Peshmerga encouraged local civilians to leave before the town could fall. This resulted in up to 90% of its 150,000–200,000 residents fleeing into the mountains to the east of the town on the night of 17 March. But during this time the army did enter the city.

Fall of the town

After two weeks of bombardment, and despite a fierce resistance put up by the Peshmerga, the town fell to government forces. On the final day of the siege the Republican Guard and Special Units were deployed against the town. The Iraqi government also fired 5 or 6 missiles per minute at the town from the direction of Tikrit, resulting in up to 1/4 of the town being hit. Other sources have suggested that up to half of the town was destroyed by the fighting.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tuz Khormato 1991 1991 Iraqi uprisings March 1991 in Iraq Battles involving Iraq Helicopter attacks Airstrikes in Iraq History of Saladin Governorate Battles involving the Peshmerga 1991 building bombings Building bombings in Iraq Airstrikes conducted by Iraq