Kirkuk’s Celebration of Newroz and the City’s Liberation

P.U.K 11:19 AM - 2025-03-20

The liberation of Kirkuk in 1991.

Today, Thursday, 20 March 2025, the people of Kirkuk celebrate Newroz and the New Year, marking the anniversary of the city’s liberation from the grip of the Ba’ath Party during the historic March Uprising of 1991.

The people of Kirkuk’s commemoration of Newroz and their city’s liberation serves as a tribute to the martyrs and heroes who sacrificed their lives for Kirkuk’s freedom in 1991, as well as the valiant Peshmerga who defended the city against the terrorist ISIS groups.

On this occasion, it is essential to remember the leadership and pivotal role of the late President Mam Jalal, who devoted special attention to Kirkuk and its people, describing it as a miniature Iraq for its diverse communities.

The PUK: The First Force to Lead the Uprising in Kirkuk

The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) was the first force to rise up within Kirkuk. In the mission to free the city from the Ba’ath Party’s control, the underground armed cells in Kirkuk coordinated with the Shallaw cells in Sulaymaniyah and the Brusk cells in Erbil. The PUK’s armed cells, led by the martyr Haji Helmat, spearheaded the uprising, constructing a formidable resistance and paving the way for the Peshmerga forces to enter Kirkuk.

In the days leading up to the city’s liberation, a crucial meeting took place, where it was decided that Kirkuk would be stormed from three strategic directions: (Erbil-Kirkuk), (Sulaymaniyah-Kirkuk), and (Garmian-Kirkuk). The liberation plan was executed successfully.

The Ba’ath Regime’s Brutality Against Kirkuk’s People

Following the liberation of Sulaymaniyah, Erbil, and Dohuk, the former Ba’ath regime dispatched the notorious Ali Hassan al-Majid to Kirkuk with full authority to suppress the population. Under his orders, 23 young Kurdish men were executed in the city, and numerous Kurdish homes were demolished in the neighbourhoods of Rahimawa, Imam Qasim, Iskan, and Azadi. However, these brutal suppression campaigns failed to break the spirit of Kirkuk’s residents.

Ultimately, the Peshmerga forces advanced from three axes—(Sulaymaniyah-Kirkuk), (Erbil-Kirkuk), and (Garmian-Kirkuk)—and converged in the Rahimawa neighbourhood. There, they ignited the Newroz flame, marking the definitive liberation of Kirkuk.



PUKMEDIA