20th Century Kurdistan
Anticipating victory in World War I and the end of the Ottoman Empire, British and French diplomats Mark Sykes and Francois Picot (Sykes-Picot Agreement) recharted Ottoman lands and drew new borders which Britain and France would maintain influence over. Modern day Iraq, Syria, Lebanon were among the new countries created. Kurdistan remained a dilemma for the western diplomats and the decision for recognizing Kurdistan as a country was delayed. In 1920, the Kurds were promised their own country as part of the Treaty of Sevres. At the objection of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk (Turkish president post-Ottoman rule), Kurdistan was no longer to be granted statehood (Treaty of Lausanne).
​
The Kurds of Turkey (northern Kurdistan) mounted a series of rebellions against the new Turkish state which were led by a chauvinistic regime whose slogan was “he who is happy is Turk” insinuating any other ethnicity was inferior. Rebellions under Sheikh Said and later Seyid Reza in Dersim were brutally suppressed with mass executions and destruction of Kurdish villages. Kurds were effectively made to assimilate into Turkish way of life and abandon their Kurdish identity completely. Until very recently, Kurdish language was prohibited within Turkey. Kurdish names were illegal. Beginning in the early 1980s, the PKK led by Abdullah Ocalan mounted an armed struggle against the Turkish state with the goal of gaining rights for the Kurds of Turkey and the ultimate objective of statehood. Tens of thousands died (mostly Kurds) in the armed conflict spanning decades.
​
The Kurds of Iran have had a long history of conflict with successive regimes in Tehran (from the Reza Shah in the ‘30s and ‘40s to his son Mohammad Reza Shah and more recently the Islamic Republic led by Ayatollah Khomeini and currently Ali Khameini). In 1946 under the leadership of Qazi Mohammad, Kurdistan declared autonomy in the city Mahabad (known as the Republic of Kurdistan). The Iranian army brutally crushed the Kurdish city and executed Qazi Mohammad and his cabinet members in the town square of Mahabad. Kurdish armed struggle against the Islamic Republic under Abdulrahman Ghassemlou united the Kurdish people in the ‘80s. Ghassemlou was assassinated by Iranian agents in Vienna. Kurds in Iran have been victims of execution by the regime routinely — most notably Mahsa Jina Amini which sparked the Woman, Life, Freedom revolution in 2022 that started in the Kurdish cities and spread throughout Iran. Amini was killed for not wearing a hijab.
​
The Kurds of Iraq have the most recognizable history of struggle against brutality - namely under the hand of the Baath party led by Saddam Hussein. In the 1960s and again in the 1970s, after failed negotiations and broken promises for autonomy, the Kurds led by Mullah Mustafa Barzani revolted against the central government of Iraq.
In the 1980s, Iraq was involved in an eight year long war with neighboring Iran. Saddam saw the Kurds of Iraq as agents of Iran and began a campaign known as Anfal (a term from the Koran translating to Spoils of War). The Anfal campaign led to the death of over 160,000 Kurds, razing of Kurdish villages, displacing Kurdish families, and most notably, the chemical weapons attack on the city of Halabja that instantly killed 5,000 civilians.
After the first Gulf War in 1990, President George H.W. Bush called on the people of Iraq to “rise up and overthrow the dictator Saddam Hussein”. The Kurds, led by Masoud Barzani and Jalal Talabani liberated the entirety of southern Kurdistan including the oil-rich Kirkuk. The Kurdish victory was short-lived. While Saddam’s army was defeated by the U.S. led coalition, he was left with tanks and helicopter gunships which we turned on the Kurdish peshmerga forces and civilians. Kurds were forced to flee to the mountain areas of Iran and Turkey. The humanitarian tragedy led to the U.S. establishing a no-fly zone above the 36th parallel allowing the Kurds to return to their homes. The Kurds established their own semi-autonomous control which exists to this day. Known as the Kurdistan Region, Kurds have held democratic elections to choose a president and prime minister. They also have their own military known as the Peshmerga (those who walk before death).
​
In 2014, the rise of the Islamic State brought havoc and death to the region. The Islamic State quickly exploited the weakened leaderships of Syria (fighting rebels in the Arab Spring revolt) and Iraq (warring Sunni and Shia factions) to quickly take control of large parts of both countries. With no loyal or capable army, Iraq’s ability to stand up to the Islamic State was non-existent. Dr. Najmaldin Karim (my grandfather), governor of Kirkuk province, made the decision to call in Kurdish peshmerga forces to protect Kirkuk. The Peshmerga stopped ISIS in their tracks and prevented them from engulfing the entirety of Iraq.
In Syria, Kurdish forces known as the YPG (The People’s Protection Units) protected Kurdish towns and alongside U.S. military, fought back ISIS successfully. The Kurds of Syria were able to establish autonomy in their areas with little resistance from the battered Assad regime.
​
As part of the new constitution of Iraq (2005) after the Baath regime, Article 140 was agreed on. Article 140 called for a referendum where the people of what are known as “disputed territories” would vote whether to join the Kurdistan Region or remain part of Iraq. The disputed territories were majority Kurdish cities but Iraq was very wary of allowing them to join Kurdistan due to their vast oil wealth. Article 140 called for this referendum vote no later than 2007. Successive governments in Baghdad continued to delay the vote. Finally in 2017, the Kurdish leadership, frustrated by the continuingly disingenuous and dysfunctional leadership in Baghdad, decided to hold their own referendum. This referendum would be for full independence and would include Kirkuk and all disputed territories. The entire international community and regional powers were opposed to the Kurds' call for independence and urged them to wait. The Kurds were done waiting and bravely held the referendum on September 25, 2017. The results were overwhelmingly in favor of independence (93%). It marked a proud day for Kurds. Unfortunately, weeks later, Iran-backed militias and the Iraqi army invaded Kurdistan and reclaimed 50% of what had been part of the Kurdistan region.
​
The history of the Kurdish struggle is dark, but the light of the dream of an independent Kurdistan remains bright and will be achieved.
Test your knowledge and quiz yourself: Basic Kurdish history & culture quiz