Kurdistan PM Honors Victims of 1974 Qaladze Bombing, 1982 Protest Massacre
Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Prime Minister Masrour Barzani paid tribute on Wednesday to the victims of the 1974 Qaladze airstrike and the protesters killed in 1982 while commemorating the attack, marking 51 years since one of the Ba’ath regime’s earliest atrocities against the Kurdish people.
In a post on X, Barzani stated, “Today we honor the memory of the martyrs of the Qaladze bombardment by the Ba’ath regime 51 years ago. We also remember the martyrs who were shot at a peaceful protest to commemorate the attack in 1982. We will always remember them and salute their sacrifices.”
Today we honor the memory of the martyrs of the Qaladze bombardment by the Ba’ath regime 51 years ago.
— Masrour Barzani (@masrourbarzani) April 24, 2025
We also remember the martyrs who were shot at a peaceful protest to commemorate the attack in 1982.
We will always remember them and salute their sacrifices.
On April 24, 1974, Iraqi Ba’athist regime fighter jets bombed the town of Qaladze in Sulaymaniyah province, deliberately targeting civilian areas, including a branch of the University of Sulaimani and residential neighborhoods. The attack killed dozens—students, professors, and civilians, many of them women and children.
Qaladze had become a hub for Kurdish intellectuals and resistance after the Kurdish liberation movement gained momentum in the early 1970s. The bombing was seen as an attempt to crush Kurdish defiance and deter opposition to Baghdad’s Arabization policies.
Eight years later, in 1982, Iraqi security forces opened fire on a peaceful demonstration commemorating the Qaladze bombing, killing and wounding unarmed protesters. The massacre deepened the trauma of the Kurdish community and became another grim chapter in the Ba’ath regime’s suppression of Kurdish identity.
Human rights organizations and Kurdish activists have long demanded international recognition of the Qaladze bombing and the 1982 crackdown as war crimes. While Saddam Hussein’s genocidal campaigns, including the Anfal operations and the Halabja chemical attack, are widely documented, earlier atrocities like Qaladze receive less global attention.
Prime Minister Barzani’s annual commemoration underscores the KRG’s commitment to preserving Kurdish historical memory. As Kurdistan faces ongoing regional challenges, the Qaladze massacre remains a symbol of both Kurdish suffering and their enduring struggle for justice and self-determination.
