PM Barzani commemorates Qaladze bombardment
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Wednesday in a Post on X commemorated the 50th anniversary of the Qaladze bombardment and the shooting of protestors in the early 1980s.
“50 years ago today, the Ba'ath regime bombarded Qaladze, killing and wounding hundreds and forever changing the city," Prime Minister Barzani said in the post.
“They also shot at peaceful protestors who commemorated the attack in 1982. The martyrs will never be forgotten; their sacrifices are part of our nation’s story,” the prime minister added.
50 years ago today, the Ba'ath regime bombarded Qaladze, killing and wounding hundreds and forever changing the city.
— Masrour Barzani (@masrourbarzani) April 24, 2024
They also shot at peaceful protestors who commemorated the attack in 1982.
The martyrs will never be forgotten; their sacrifices are part of our nation’s story. pic.twitter.com/7MMTRDTgGa
On Apr. 24, 1974, the Iraqi Ba'ath regime dropped napalm bombs on the border town of Qaladze, where the University of Sulaimani was located. More than a hundred people were killed in the attack, including students and lecturers.
Years later, in 1982, when local people in the town held a demonstration commemorating the massacre, the regime violently cracked down on them.
The former regime, which was toppled in 2003 by a US-led coalition and Kurdish forces, had committed numerous atrocities against the Iraqi people, particularly the Kurds, including the chemical bombardments of Halabja and the ethnic cleansing campaign of Anfal.
Following his surrender to American forces, Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein was tried in court for crimes against humanity and other gross violations. He was executed in December 2006 in Baghdad.