Qaladze Remembers: 52 Years Since Napalm Bombing and 1982 Uprising

PUKMEDIA

Remembering the Qaladze Napalm Bombing and the 1982 Uprising.

Today marks the 52nd anniversary of the bombing of Qaladze with internationally prohibited napalm weapons, which resulted in significant civilian casualties.

On this day in 1974, warplanes of the former Ba’athist regime carried out an attack on the city at 9:45 a.m., using banned napalm. The bombardment targeted civilian locations, including residences housing students from the University of Sulaymaniyah who had relocated there during the revolution, the university’s administrative building, part of Qaladze Hospital, the governorate headquarters, public offices, schools, around 27 homes, and 40 shops.

The attack led to the deaths of 163 civilians, including nine students, and left approximately 300 others injured. Most of the victims were women, children, and elderly residents, in addition to a number of students and teachers who were in the city at the time.

This anniversary also coincides with the uprising in the city on 24 April 1982 against the former Ba’athist regime. The protest was violently suppressed, with security forces opening live fire on civilians, killing two women, injuring dozens, and detaining hundreds.


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