KDP Invaded Erbil with Ba'ath Tanks, PUK Will Regain it by People's Votes

Kurdistan 05:18 PM - 2024-08-30

PUK's logo and Erbil citadel in the background.

The betrayal of the people of Erbil and the Kurdistan Region by the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) occurred more than 28 years ago, resulting in over 230 PUK Peshmergas' deaths and over 700 injuries.  In response to this treachery, the PUK has opted for the slogan 'We will regain Erbil' for the forthcoming legislative elections.

"The KDP invaded Erbil with the tanks of the Ba'ath regime, but we will regain it with the votes of the people of Erbil," a PUK Political Bureau advisor declared.

PUK: KDP calls this shame an achievement

The PUK Political Bureau issued a message on the occasion of the 28th anniversary of the August 31 betrayal and stated: "On this sad, bitter, and sorrowful day and reflecting on its previous sacrifices for freedom, social peace, and the future of Kurdish generations, the PUK reaffirms its call for a united, responsible, and democratic effort to revive the new Kurdish struggle, rectify the governance, restore the balance of power in Kurdistan, and eradicate all factors contributing to monopoly, discrimination, oppression, and more.  The betrayal of August, particularly in the backdrop of a backward immoral culture that still acknowledges this political misdeed as a supposed national accomplishment and shamelessly defends it, has deprived many aspects of our experience of its national, democratic, and just content."

PUK: We will reclaim Erbil by public votes

"The KDP invaded Erbil using Ba'ath tanks 28 years ago," Hardi Salah, an advisor to the PUK Political Bureau, told PUKMEDIA. But in the approaching sixth term of Kurdistan parliamentary elections, the PUK reclaims Erbil thanks to divine intervention and the votes of the populace. " 

"The KDP leaders fail to differentiate between capture and regain... Our slogan is regaining Erbil through the votes of the people, whereas theirs called for the Ba'ath tanks to do so," Salah stated. 

"It is well known among the Kurdish people that the KDP's achievements clearly show a betrayal of our people," he continued. As they did during the betrayal on August 31, the capture of Sinjar, and other disastrous events, they have continued to endure betrayal in order to ensure their own survival."

The KDP handed over Erbil to the Ba'athists

Fahima Sabir, a former member of the PUK Leadership Council, told PUKMEDIA: "The KDP, which served as the Ba'ath Party's guiding force in the occupation of Erbil, demonstrated its lack of allegiance to the Kurdish people who suffered from persecution in Anfal, chemical attacks, genocide, and exile."

"The PUK will exert maximum effort to reclaim Erbil from the traitors through democratic means and ensure its restoration to the genuine and authentic people of Erbil," she stated.

Over 230 PUK Peshmergas were martyred in the August 31 betrayal

According to the statistics of the PUK's Martyrs Bureau, 236 PUK Peshmergas were martyred in Erbil and its surroundings during the August 31 betrayal, while over 7,000 Peshmergas were injured. In addition, a large number of houses of the PUK Peshmergas were looted on August 31, and their families and children were exiled.

August 31 Betrayal

For the safety of the residents of the Kurdistan Region, the UN Security Council passed Resolution 688 in 1991, establishing a peace zone for the Kurds and forbidding the former Iraqi Ba'ath regime from entering or bombing the region. However, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) violated the resolution by bringing the Iraqi army back to Erbil. The betrayal destroyed a peaceful area for Kurds, prompting a global response.

August 31, 1996, was a tragic day in Kurdish history and a serious blow to our people's liberation movement after less than six years of experiencing governance and freedom. It occurred in the heart of the Kurdish capital. The betrayal sparked a national and international outcry, prompting American airstrikes on Kurdistani regions where the Iraqi army was stationed.

The occupation of Erbil was a betrayal because it was more than just a military and security operation to drive out a political force such as the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), which was the driving force behind the Kurdish uprising and the liberation of Erbil. It was more than just a sad chapter in the long history of the Civil War. The August 31 political, national, and ethnic act was so dishonest and unfair that it severely harmed the legitimacy and morality of the ruling process, as well as the democratic face of our people's liberation movement.



PUKMEDIA