Kirkuk executions (1991)
 | It has been suggested that this article be merged into 1991 Altun Kupri massacre. (Discuss) Proposed since April 2025. |
| Kirkuk executions (1991) | |
|---|---|
| Part of Iraqi-Kurdish conflict | |
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| Date | Lua error in Module:WikidataIB at line 665: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). |
| Target | Ba'ath Party members, Iraqi police |
Attack type | Mass killings, Execution |
| Deaths | Dozens |
| Perpetrators | Kurdish rebels |
| Motive | Retaliation, Anti-Iraqi sentiment |
The Kirkuk executions (1991) occurred in March 1991 during the aftermath of the 1991 uprisings in Iraq. Following the Kurdish capture of the city of Kirkuk, Kurdish rebels carried out retaliatory executions of members of the Ba'ath Party and police forces believed to be loyal to Saddam Hussein.
Background
After the end of the Gulf War, uprisings broke out across northern Iraq, particularly in the Kurdish regions. Kurdish fighters and civilians seized control of several cities, including Kirkuk, as the central government's authority collapsed.
The killings
As Kurdish forces gained control of Kirkuk in March 1991, reports surfaced of mass reprisals against Ba'ath Party officials and police officers. According to the PBS series Frontline, "In retaliation, the rebels massacred any Ba'ath officials and police officers they could find."[1]
Human Rights Watch documented similar retaliatory actions across northern Iraq, noting that "opposition groups summarily executed Ba'ath Party members and security officials" in towns such as Tuz.[2]
Though the exact number of victims is unknown, estimates suggest that dozens of people may have been executed during the Kirkuk incident.[3]
Aftermath
There was no formal investigation or accountability for the killings. While some groups involved in the uprising were later integrated into the Kurdish autonomous government, no prosecutions related to the events in Kirkuk are known.
See also
References
This article "Kirkuk executions (1991)" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Kirkuk executions (1991). Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
- Iraqi–Kurdish conflict
- Massacres in Iraq
- Massacres in Iraqi Kurdistan
- History of Kirkuk
- Massacres in 1991
- Battles involving the Peshmerga
- 1991 in Iraq
- Kurdish rebellions in Iraq
- 1991 Iraqi uprisings
- 1991 in Iraqi Kurdistan
- 20th-century executions
- 1991 crimes in Iraq
- 20th century in Kirkuk
- Military history of Kirkuk
