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{{short description|Kurdish rebellion in Iran}} | |||
{{POV|date=November 2015}} | {{POV|date=November 2015}} | ||
{{copy edit|date=July 2022}} | |||
{{Infobox military conflict | {{Infobox military conflict | ||
| conflict = 1979 Kurdish rebellion in Iran | | conflict = 1979 Kurdish rebellion in Iran | ||
| partof = ], ], and ]<ref name= |
| partof = ], ], and ]<ref name=denise/> | ||
| image = Map of Iranian Kurdistan.png | | image = Map of Iranian Kurdistan.png | ||
| image_size = 250px | | image_size = 250px | ||
| caption = The epicenter of insurrection | | caption = The epicenter of insurrection | ||
| date = March |
| date = March 1979–1983<ref name=ward/>/1984-1989<ref name=gs/> 1989-1996 | ||
| place = ] | | place = ] | ||
| result = Iranian victory | | result = Iranian victory | ||
* |
* Iranian forces mostly diverted to the ] front since late 1980 | ||
* Pockets of |
* Pockets of KDPI resistance remained until 1996<ref name=gs/> | ||
| combatant1 = {{flagicon image|Flag of Iran (1964).svg}} ] and ] <small>(1979−80)</small> | | combatant1 = {{flagicon image|Flag of Iran (1964).svg}} ] and ] <small>(1979−80)</small> | ||
---- | ---- | ||
{{flagicon|Iran}} ] <small>(1980−83)</small> | {{flagicon|Iran|1980}} ] <small>(1980−83)</small> | ||
| combatant2 = {{flagicon image|Flag of Partiya Demokrat a Kurdistana Îranê.png}} ]<br>{{flagicon image|Flag of Komala.png}} ]<br>{{flagicon image|Flag of the Organization of Iranian People's Fedai Guerrillas (Red).svg}} ]<ref name="T&F"/><br>{{flagicon image|Flag of the Organization of Iranian People's Fedai Guerrillas (Red).svg}} ]<ref>{{cite journal|title=Iranian Left In Political Dilemma|publisher=Pakistan Institute of International Affairs|journal=Pakistan Horizon|number=3|volume=39|year=1986|pages=39–51| |
| combatant2 = {{flagicon image|Flag of Partiya Demokrat a Kurdistana Îranê.png}} ]<br>{{flagicon image|Flag of Komala.png}} ]<br>{{flagicon image|Flag of the Organization of Iranian People's Fedai Guerrillas (Red).svg}} ]<ref name="T&F"/><br>{{flagicon image|Flag of the Organization of Iranian People's Fedai Guerrillas (Red).svg}} ]<ref>{{cite journal|title=Iranian Left In Political Dilemma|publisher=Pakistan Institute of International Affairs|journal=Pakistan Horizon|number=3|volume=39|year=1986|pages=39–51|last=Kamal|first=Muhammad|jstor=41393782|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/41393782|access-date=2017-12-14|archive-date=2019-03-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190302024941/https://www.jstor.org/stable/41393782|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=gs>{{cite web|url=http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/war/kurdistan-iran.htm|title=Kurdistan - Iran|publisher=GlobalSecurity.org|access-date=2012-03-18|archive-date=2017-12-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171210080431/https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/war/kurdistan-iran.htm|url-status=live}}</ref><br>]<ref name=":6">{{Cite conference |last=van Bruinessen |first=Martin |author-link=Martin van Bruinessen |date=15 August 1986 |title=The Naqshbandi Order as a Vehicle of Political Protest among the Kurds (With Some Comparative Notes on Indonesia) |url=https://www.academia.edu/10965366 |conference=New Approaches in Islamic Studies |location=Jakarta |publisher=] |pages=1–3 |via=] |access-date=17 July 2023 |archive-date=16 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230816190924/https://www.academia.edu/10965366 |url-status=live }}</ref> | ||
---- | ---- | ||
'''Supported by:''' | '''Supported by:''' | ||
{{flagicon|Iraq|1963}} ]<ref name=factsonfile>{{ |
{{flagicon|Iraq|1963}} ]<ref name="factsonfile">{{cite book |last=Stokes |first=Jamie |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=stl97FdyRswC&pg=PA390 |title=Encyclopedia of the Peoples of Africa and the Middle East|page=390|year=2009 |publisher=Infobase |isbn=9781438126760 |access-date=2015-06-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160430080335/https://books.google.com/books?id=stl97FdyRswC&pg=PA390 |archive-date=2016-04-30 |url-status=live}}</ref> | ||
| commander1 = {{flagicon|Iran}} ]<br> | | commander1 = {{flagicon|Iran|1980}} ]<br> | ||
{{flagicon|Iran}} ]<br> | {{flagicon|Iran|1980}} ]<br> | ||
{{flagicon|Iran}} ]<br> | {{flagicon|Iran|1980}} ]<br> | ||
{{flagicon|Iran}} ]<br> | {{flagicon|Iran|1980}} ]{{Assassinated}}<br> | ||
{{flagicon|Iran}} ]<br> | {{flagicon|Iran|1980}} ]<br> | ||
{{flagicon|Iran}} ]<br> | {{flagicon|Iran|1980}} ]<br> | ||
{{flagicon|Iran}} ]<br> | {{flagicon|Iran|1980}} ]<br> | ||
{{flagicon|Iran}} ]<br> | {{flagicon|Iran|1980}} ]<br> | ||
{{flagicon|Iran|1980}} ]<br> | |||
{{Collapsible list | {{Collapsible list | ||
| bullets = no | | bullets = no | ||
| title = Army | | title = Army | ||
|{{flagicon|Iran}} ]|{{flagicon|Iran}} ]|{{flagicon|Iran}} ]|{{flagicon|Iran}} ]|{{flagicon|Iran}} ]|{{flagicon|Iran}} ]|{{flagicon|Iran}} ]}} | |{{flagicon|Iran|1980}} ]|{{flagicon|Iran}} ]|{{flagicon|Iran|1980}} ]|{{flagicon|Iran|1980}} ]|{{flagicon|Iran|1980}} ]|{{flagicon|Iran|1980}} ]|{{flagicon|Iran|1980}} ]}} | ||
{{Collapsible list | {{Collapsible list | ||
| bullets = no | | bullets = no | ||
| title = IRGC | | title = IRGC | ||
|{{flagicon|Iran}} ]|{{flagicon|Iran}} ]|{{flagicon|Iran}} ]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://foreignpolicy.com/articles/2012/09/21/what_is_iran_doing_in_syria?page=0,1|title=What Is Iran Doing in Syria?| |
|{{flagicon|Iran|1980}} ]|{{flagicon|Iran|1980}} ]|{{flagicon|Iran|1980}} ]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://foreignpolicy.com/articles/2012/09/21/what_is_iran_doing_in_syria?page=0,1|last=Alfoneh|first=Ali|title=What Is Iran Doing in Syria?|publisher=Foreign Policy|date=2012-09-21|access-date=2012-09-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120926184128/http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2012/09/21/what_is_iran_doing_in_syria?page=0,1|archive-date=2012-09-26|url-status=dead}}</ref> | ||
}} | }} | ||
| commander2 = {{flagicon image|Flag of Partiya Demokrat a Kurdistana Îranê.png}} ]<br> | | commander2 = {{flagicon image|Flag of Partiya Demokrat a Kurdistana Îranê.png}} ]{{Assassinated}}<br /> | ||
{{flagicon image|Flag of Komala.png}} ]{{KIA}}<br> | {{flagicon image|Flag of Komala.png}} ]{{KIA}}<br> | ||
{{flagicon image|Flag of Komala.png}} Abdullah Mohtadi<br> | {{flagicon image|Flag of Komala.png}} Abdullah Mohtadi<br> | ||
{{flagicon image|Flag of Komala.png}} ]<br> | {{flagicon image|Flag of Komala.png}} ]<br> | ||
{{flagicon image|Flag of Komala.png}} Jafar Shafiyi<br> | {{flagicon image|Flag of Komala.png}} Jafar Shafiyi<br> | ||
{{flagicon image|Flag of the Organization of Iranian People's Fedai Guerrillas (Red).svg}} ]<ref name="T&F">{{cite book|last=Zabir|first=Sepehr|year=2012|title=Iran Since the Revolution (RLE Iran D)|isbn=978-1136833007|publisher=Taylor & Francis|pages=108–110}}</ref> | {{flagicon image|Flag of the Organization of Iranian People's Fedai Guerrillas (Red).svg}} ]<ref name="T&F">{{cite book|last=Zabir|first=Sepehr|year=2012|title=Iran Since the Revolution (RLE Iran D)|isbn=978-1136833007|publisher=Taylor & Francis|pages=108–110}}</ref><br>]<ref name=":6"></ref> | ||
| units1 = ]<br> | | units1 = ]<br> | ||
] | ] | ||
| strength1 = 5,000 Revolutionary Guards in Kurdistan province |
| strength1 = 5,000 Revolutionary Guards in Kurdistan province (August 23, 1979); 200,000 by 1982 | ||
| strength2 = 100,000 armed Kurdish Peshmerga( |
| strength2 = 100,000 armed Kurdish Peshmerga (August 1979), including 2,000 in ], 2,000 in ], 20,000 in ], 10,000 near ], and 5,000 ].<ref name=ward/><br>Artillery included a few captured tanks, light artillery pieces, ], and machine guns.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Razoux|first1=Pierre|date=2015|title=The Iran–Iraq War|publisher=Harvard University Press|isbn=9780674915718|at=Appendix E: Armed Opposition}}</ref> | ||
| units2 = |
| units2 = ] | ||
| casualties1 = |
| casualties1 = 25,000 Killed<ref name=ward/> | ||
| casualties2 = 5,000 killed (Iranian Government claim)<ref name=ward/> | | casualties2 = 5,000 killed (Iranian Government claim)<ref name=ward/> | ||
| casualties3 = |
| casualties3 = 45,000 total casualties <ref name=ward/><br> | ||
12 Iranian officers executed for refusing to fight<ref name=ward> |
12 Iranian officers executed for refusing to fight<ref name=ward>{{cite book|title=Immortal: A Military History of Iran and its Armed Forces|last=Ward|first=R.S.|year=2009|pages=231–233|publisher=Georgetown University Press |isbn=978-1589015876 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8eUTLaaVOOQC|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160505064926/https://books.google.com/books?id=8eUTLaaVOOQC|archive-date=2016-05-05|url-status=live}}</ref><br> | ||
'''Total: |
'''Total: 10,000<ref>{{cite web|url=http://government.arts.cornell.edu/assets/psac/sp09/Smith_Kurdish_Separatism_Feb09_PSAC.pdf|year=2009|title=Land and Rebellion: Kurdish Separatism in Comparative Perspective|last=Smith|first=Benjamin|page=19|publisher=Cornell University|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120615011857/http://government.arts.cornell.edu/assets/psac/sp09/Smith_Kurdish_Separatism_Feb09_PSAC.pdf|archive-date=2012-06-15}}</ref>{{ref|c}}–45,000 killed<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.ucdp.uu.se/gpdatabase/gpcountry.php?id=76®ionSelect=10-Middle_East |title=Iran|publisher=Database - Uppsala Conflict Data Program (UCDP) |access-date=2012-10-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140719212139/http://www.ucdp.uu.se/gpdatabase/gpcountry.php?id=76®ionSelect=10-Middle_East |archive-date=2014-07-19 |url-status=dead}}</ref>''' | ||
}} | }} | ||
{{Campaignbox consolidation of the Iranian Revolution}} | {{Campaignbox consolidation of the Iranian Revolution}} | ||
{{Campaignbox Kurdish separatism in Iran}} | {{Campaignbox Kurdish separatism in Iran}} | ||
The '''1979 Kurdish rebellion in Iran''' was one of the largest ] in the country against the ] following the ]. The Kurdish rebellion began in mid-March, just two months after the Revolution ended, and was one of the most intense ] in modern Iran.<ref name=ward /> | |||
The '''1979 Kurdish rebellion in Iran'''<ref name=ward /> erupted in mid-March 1979,<ref name=ward /> some two months after the completion of the Iranian Revolution. It subsequently became the largest among the ] in Iran against the new state and one of the most intense ] in modern Iran. Initially, Kurdish movements were trying to align with the new government of Iran, seeking to emphasize their Muslim identity and seek common ground with other Iranians. The ] even briefly branded itself as a '']'' organization, allegedly criticizing those calling for independence, but nevertheless calling for political autonomy.<ref name=denise144>Denise, N. ''The Kurds And the State: Evolving National Identity in Iraq, Turkey, And Iran'': p.144–45. 2005. Syracuse University Press. "Free to discuss its political views, the KDPI came out of thirty years of clandestine existence and made public claims for political autonomy"; "Despite its criticisms of the regime, in its early post-revolutionary public discourses the KDPI called itself an authentically national and Iranian party". {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130926041559/http://www.google.co.il/books?hl=iw&lr=&id=G62NSVhprsQC&oi=fnd&pg=PR9&dq=autonomy+kurdish+separatism+iran&ots=scLMIOU6sg&sig=aO59-O4tcJQW0AmG1_neQZfeH3E&redir_esc=y#v=snippet&q=kdpi&f=false |date=2013-09-26 }}</ref> However, following a number of attacks on Iranian army barracks in Kurdistan province by militant groups, relations between some Kurdish organizations and the Iranian government quickly deteriorated, and although Shi'a Kurds and some Sunni tribal leaders turned towards the new Shi'a Islamic State, Sunni Kurdish leftists and communists continued the nationalist project in their enclave in ].<ref name=denise145>Denise, N. ''The Kurds And the State: Evolving National Identity in Iraq, Turkey, And Iran'':p.145 2005. Syracuse University Press. "Instead of creating a cohesive Kurdish nationalist movement, some Kurdish leaders such as Husayni's brother Shaykh Jalal accepted Iraqi military assistance and formed a Sunni militia opposed to the Iranian government and Kurdish nationalist parties. Qasimlu differentiated his real Kurdish nationalist party from traitors within the KDPI. Others, such as the prominent Ghani Bolourian, tried to negotiate with the central government. After the revolution, some Shi'a Kurds from Ilam, Kermanshah and West Azerbaijan turned away from Kurdish nationalists and towards non-Kurdish Shi'a communities. Sunni Kurdish leftists continued to direct the nationalist project in their enclave in Kurdistan Province, having marginal influence over Shi'a Kurds in other regions." | |||
{{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130926041559/http://www.google.co.il/books?hl=iw&lr=&id=G62NSVhprsQC&oi=fnd&pg=PR9&dq=autonomy+kurdish+separatism+iran&ots=scLMIOU6sg&sig=aO59-O4tcJQW0AmG1_neQZfeH3E&redir_esc=y#v=snippet&q=kdpi&f=false |date=2013-09-26 }}</ref> | |||
Kurdish groups initially tried to align with Iran's new government in an attempt to emphasize their own ] identity and to seek common ground with other Iranians. The ] (KDPI), who strongly campaigned for ], briefly identified as a ] organization, even criticizing those calling for independence from the state.<ref name=denise>{{cite book|title=The Kurds And the State: Evolving National Identity in Iraq, Turkey, And Iran|last=Denise|first=N.|year=2005|pages=144–145|publisher=Syracuse University Press|isbn=9780815630845 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=G62NSVhprsQC&q=kdpi&pg=PR9|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130926041559/http://www.google.co.il/books?hl=iw&lr=&id=G62NSVhprsQC&oi=fnd&pg=PR9&dq=autonomy+kurdish+separatism+iran&ots=scLMIOU6sg&sig=aO59-O4tcJQW0AmG1_neQZfeH3E&redir_esc=y#v=snippet&q=kdpi&f=false|archive-date=2013-09-26|access-date=2023-03-17}}</ref>{{ref|a}} However, following a number of attacks on Iranian army barracks in the ] by militant groups, relations quickly deteriorated. Though ] Kurds and some ] tribal leaders approved of the Shīʿa Islamic State, most Sunni Kurdish leftists and communists continued to push for the independence of Kurdistan.<ref name=denise/>{{ref|b}} A portion of the ] also opposed the new state, aligning with the Iraqi army and forming the ] militant group, under the guidance of Sheikh ].<ref name=":6"></ref> | |||
While at first, Kurdish militants, primarily of the ], made some territorial gains in the area of Mahabad and temporarily ousted Iranian troops from the region, a large scale offensive in spring 1980 by the ] reversed the course of the conflict. | |||
Kurdish militants, primarily from the KDPI, initially made territorial gains in ] and temporarily ousted Iranian troops from the region, but a large-scale offensive in spring 1980 by the ] reversed the course of the conflict. The start of the ] in September 1980 saw the Iranian government increasing efforts to snuff the Kurdish rebellion, the only 1979 uprising that remained, in part due to the province's proximity to the Iraqi border. By 1981, the Iranian police and the Revolutionary Guard had ousted the Kurdish militants from their strongholds, but small groups continued to execute sporadic attacks against Iranian militia. Clashes in the area continued until 1983. | |||
About 10,000 people were killed |
About 10,000 people were killed over the course of the rebellion, including 1,200 Kurdish political prisoners executed by the Iranian government.<ref name=ward/> There was a ] following the assassination of KDPI leader ]. | ||
==Background== | ==Background== | ||
{{original research|date=June 2019}} | {{original research|date=June 2019}} | ||
{{main article|Iranian Revolution}} | {{main article|Iranian Revolution}} | ||
After failed rebellions in ] and ], Kurdish political organizations continued to push for ] against the ] ], a move that brought ] ] to power in February 1979. Tensions remained between the Kurdish people and the government, even with the new leader installed. Many ] fled to Kurdistan following ]'s crackdown on Kurdish revolts, though they continued their campaign for their right to independence in their new home.<ref name=":1">{{cite web|title=دموکرات کردستان ایران، حزب|trans-title=Democratic Kurdistan of Iran, Party|publisher=Centre for the Great Islamic Encyclopaedia|url=https://www.cgie.org.ir/fa/article/245891/%D8%AF%D9%85%D9%88%DA%A9%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%AA-%DA%A9%D8%B1%D8%AF%D8%B3%D8%AA%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%A7%DB%8C%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%8C-%D8%AD%D8%B2%D8%A8|access-date=2022-04-27|language=fa|archive-date=2022-04-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220427063427/https://www.cgie.org.ir/fa/article/245891/%D8%AF%D9%85%D9%88%DA%A9%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%AA-%DA%A9%D8%B1%D8%AF%D8%B3%D8%AA%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%A7%DB%8C%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%8C-%D8%AD%D8%B2%D8%A8|url-status=live}}</ref> In the past, Iran had supported Kurdish fighters in clashes with Iraq. The Kurds were exploited by foreign powers looking to destabilize the young republic.{{clarify|date=March 2023|reason=who and how?}} | |||
After Pahlavi rule and two major failed rebellions in 1946 and 1967, Kurdish political organizations were enthusiastic supporters of the revolution against the ], which brought ] ] to power in February 1979. The Shah had shown himself to be no friend of Kurdish aspirations for greater autonomy nor a loosening of Tehran's control over their affairs. Once again, from the early days of the Islamic revolution, relations between the central government and Kurdish organizations were fraught with difficulties, and armed insurrection would ensue. | |||
Unlike others in the country, Iranian Sunni Kurds abstained from voting to endorse the creation of an Islamic Republic in March 1979. That ] garnered 99.20% approval of the ] from Kurdistan, compared to 99.31% nationwide.{{cn|date=September 2024}} KDPI leader ] was barred from joining the ], the group responsible for writing the new constitution in 1979, despite winning a seat with 34.9% of the vote. The rejection came after Ghassemlou refused the government's request to disarm the KDPI and turn their weapons in to the military.<ref>{{cite news|title=Praguer Ghassemlou|publisher=Yekta Uzunoglu|url=http://yektauzunoglu.com/en/2016/07/19/praguer-ghassemlou/|date=2016-07-19|access-date=2018-07-04|archive-date=2020-12-05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201205143026/http://yektauzunoglu.com/en/2016/07/19/praguer-ghassemlou/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.nourizadeh.com/archives/000267.php |title=The tragedy of being Kurd in Iran|author=Ali Reza Nourizadeh|access-date=2012-03-18 |archive-date=2012-03-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120304210456/http://www.nourizadeh.com/archives/000267.php |url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
The Kurds, with their cross-border alliances, were seen as vulnerable to exploitation by foreign powers who wished to destabilize the young republic. Tensions between Iran and Iraq had previously seen both sides back Kurdish rebels in the country of the other. Additionally, a large number of ] migrated to Iranian Kurdistan following Saddam's suppression of Kurdish revolts there, many of whom were armed and continued engaging in militancy.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=دموکرات کردستان ایران، حزب {{!}} مرکز دائرةالمعارف بزرگ اسلامی |trans-title=Democratic Kurdistan of Iran, Party |url=https://www.cgie.org.ir/fa/article/245891/%D8%AF%D9%85%D9%88%DA%A9%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%AA-%DA%A9%D8%B1%D8%AF%D8%B3%D8%AA%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%A7%DB%8C%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%8C-%D8%AD%D8%B2%D8%A8 |access-date=2022-04-27 |website=www.cgie.org.ir}}</ref> Many Iranian Sunni Kurds, unlike the overwhelming majority of their countrymen, abstained from voting to endorse the creation of an Islamic republic in March 1979. That ] resulted in a 99.20% approval of the ] in Kurdistan province, as compared to 99.31% nationwide.<ref>{{Cite web |title=نتایج همهپرسی نظام جمهوری اسلامی |trans-title=Results of the Islamic Republic referendum |url=https://moi.ir/Files/MOI/Files/65/65529fe5-48a4-4c0c-8125-a46253ab4865.pdf |website=]}}</ref> | |||
The crisis deepened after the KDPI's ] was denied a seat in the ''assembly of experts'' gathering in 1979, which was responsible for writing the new constitution. Ghassemlou had won his seat to the council with 34.9% of the vote, but was rejected after refusing the government's request for his group to disarm and return their weapons to government forces.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Praguer Ghassemlou |publisher=Yekta Uzunoglu |url=http://yektauzunoglu.com/en/2016/07/19/praguer-ghassemlou/ |access-date=4 July 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.nourizadeh.com/archives/000267.php |title=Ali Reza Nourizadeh (Persian - Arabic - English) |access-date=2012-03-18 |archive-date=2012-03-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120304210456/http://www.nourizadeh.com/archives/000267.php |url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
==Rebellion== | ==Rebellion== | ||
===Beginning=== | |||
A wave of nationalism engulfed eastern Kurdistan after the fall of the ]. A series of anti-revolutionary revolts were cropping up across the country, including in ] and ]. In March 1979, the KDPI announced an eight-point plan for Kurdish independence,<ref name=factsonfile/> which was met with opposition from other Kurdish leaders such as ] who disapproved of the militarism and separatism proposed.<ref name=":1" /> In mid-March, Kurdish factions took control of police headquarters, army bases, and parts of army barracks in ], killing 21 soldiers when they refused to surrender the barracks to the militants.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=کردستان از فروردین ماه سال ۱۳۵۸ تا پاکسازی کامل |trans-title=Kurdistan from April 1979 to the complete cleansing |url=https://dnws.ir/28016 |access-date=2022-04-27 |publisher=DEFA Press |language=fa |archive-date=2023-11-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231109165133/https://defapress.ir/fa/news/28016/%D8%AD%DA%A9%D9%85-%D8%A8%D8%B2%D8%B1%DA%AF%D8%AA%D8%B1%DB%8C%D9%86-%D9%BE%D8%B1%D9%88%D9%86%D8%AF%D9%87-%D9%82%D8%A7%DA%86%D8%A7%D9%82-%DA%86%D8%A7%DB%8C-%D8%B4%D8%B1%D9%82-%DA%A9%D8%B4%D9%88%D8%B1-%D8%A7%D8%AC%D8%B1%D8%A7-%D8%B4%D8%AF |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=ward/> | |||
] reported that the revolt began when Kurdish tribesmen overpowered Iranian militiamen in ].<ref name="bbc">{{cite news |date=1979-08-23 |title=1979: Kurdish revolt grows in Iran |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/august/23/newsid_2535000/2535165.stm |url-status=live |access-date=2012-03-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210116131418/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/august/23/newsid_2535000/2535165.stm |archive-date=2021-01-16}}</ref> Unrest was then alleged to have spread to other Kurdish-dominated regions such as ], ], and ] as Kurds took over towns and army garrisons to keep the Iranian military at bay.<ref name=bbc/><ref name=ward/> Many Kurdish leaders went into hiding after ] ordered their arrest and execution. At this point, Iranian newspapers were estimating 600 casualties.<ref name=bbc/> | |||
===Eruption=== | |||
As a wave of nationalism engulfed eastern Kurdistan after the fall of the ] in line with a series of anti-revolutionary revolts across the country (in ], Iranian Balochistan, and other parts of Iran), a full-scale rebellion was imminent. | |||
Also, in March 1979, the KDP-I formulated and publicly announced an eight-point plan for Kurdish independence.<ref name=factsonfile/> This led to opposition from some other Kurdish leaders, such as ], who announced their aversion to militarism and separatism.<ref name=":1" /> | |||
The uprising began in mid-March 1979 when Kurdish factions took over control of police headquarters, army bases, and parts of army barracks in Sanandaj.<ref name=ward/> The militants demanded the surrender of the army barracks in Sanandaj, resulting in the killing of 21 soldiers.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=کردستان از فروردینماه سال ۱۳۵۸ تا پاکسازی کامل |trans-title=Kurdistan from April 1979 to the complete cleansing |url=https://defapress.ir/fa/news/280161/%DA%A9%D8%B1%D8%AF%D8%B3%D8%AA%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%A7%D8%B2-%D9%81%D8%B1%D9%88%D8%B1%D8%AF%DB%8C%D9%86%E2%80%8C%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%87-%D8%B3%D8%A7%D9%84-%DB%B1%DB%B3%DB%B5%DB%B8-%D8%AA%D8%A7-%D9%BE%D8%A7%DA%A9%D8%B3%D8%A7%D8%B2%DB%8C-%DA%A9%D8%A7%D9%85%D9%84 |access-date=2022-04-27 |website=defapress.ir}}</ref> According to the ], the revolt began when Kurdish tribesmen overpowered Iranian militias in the town of Paveh.<ref name="bbc">{{cite news |date=1979-08-23 |title=1979: Kurdish revolt grows in Iran |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/august/23/newsid_2535000/2535165.stm |url-status=live |access-date=2012-03-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210116131418/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/august/23/newsid_2535000/2535165.stm |archive-date=2021-01-16}}</ref> Allegedly, unrest then spread to other Kurdish-dominated regions as the Kurds took over towns and army garrisons trying to keep out the Iranian army,<ref name=ward/> namely to the towns of Divan Darreh, ] and Mahabad.<ref name=bbc/> Many Kurdish leaders went into hiding after Khomeini ordered their arrest and execution.<ref name=bbc/> Iranian newspaper reports at this stage put the number killed at about 600.<ref name=bbc/> Two committees formed in Sanandaj at this time as well, one led by ] and another by the head of the city's Hosseiniyah, named Safdari.<ref name=":2" /> The Iranian government tried to resolve the conflict peacefully at this point, sending a delegation to Sanandaj and negotiating with all militant groups present there. The negotiations resulted in an agreement to halt hostilities. Following this, ] was temporarily appointed as the governor of Kurdistan province by the interior ministry. Various Kurdish groups rejected his appointment, causing the agreement to fall apart.<ref name=":2" /> | |||
Two groups formed in ] at this time: one was led by ] and another by the leader of the city's ], Safdari.<ref name=":2" /> The Iranian government sent a delegate to Sanandaj to meet with representatives of the militant groups. Negotiations resulted in an agreement to end conflict. Afterwards, ] was temporarily appointed governor of Kurdistan by the ]. Armed conflict broke out again in April, initially between Kurdish forces such as the KDPI and ] against the revolutionary government's forces,<ref name=mcdowall>{{cite book|title=A Modern History of the Kurds|last=McDowall|first=David|year=1996|chapter=Subjects of the Shi'i Republic|pages=261–287}}</ref> but later between Kurdish militants and area ] factions, including the ] tribe, as well. This resulted in the death of hundreds of ] and ].<ref name=ward/> | |||
===Fighting campaigns and politics=== | ===Fighting campaigns and politics=== | ||
In mid-August, |
In mid-August, the Revolutionary Guard ambushed ] in defiance of the army's advice. Since they were unprepared for battle, they were overpowered and encircled by Kurdish militants.<ref name=ward/><ref name=":3">{{cite news |last=de Kretser |first=Chris |date=1979-08-19 |title=Khomeini, as Military Chief, Orders Kurdish Revolt Crushed |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1979/08/19/khomeini-as-military-chief-orders-kurdish-revolt-crushed/7ef59251-2429-44fd-ba41-b6117603506d/ |newspaper=] |access-date=2022-04-27 |archive-date=2023-08-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230808045213/http://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1979/08/19/khomeini-as-military-chief-orders-kurdish-revolt-crushed/7ef59251-2429-44fd-ba41-b6117603506d/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The situation prompted Khomeini to meet with the heads of the government and army. In his statement on August 17, he announced a ] against Kurdish separatists and declared key Kurdish nationalist figures, including Ghassemlou, ].<ref name="factsonfile"/> A three-week campaign to clear out rebel strongholds in Saqqez and Mahabad followed. A week after the ill-advised siege on Paveh, the city was captured by the Revolutionary Guard after the Kurdish withdrew. This marked the beginning of the Iranian counteroffensive.<ref name=":3" /> | ||
By August 20 |
By August 20, the Iranian army had begun attacking Mahabad; they managed to completely surround it by August 30. Three days of negotiations began but ultimately failed, and Iranian forces launched another onslaught of the city on September 3.<ref name="siege">{{cite web|url=http://www.iranhrdc.org/english/publications/reports/3508-haunted-memories-the-islamic-republics-executions-of-kurds-in-1979.html?p=11#.T7jwANyn-uZ|publisher=Iran Human Rights Documentation Center|title=Haunted Memories: The Islamic Republic's Executions of Kurds in 1979|access-date=2012-05-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120602222138/http://www.iranhrdc.org/english/publications/reports/3508-haunted-memories-the-islamic-republics-executions-of-kurds-in-1979.html?p=11#.T7jwANyn-uZ|archive-date=2012-06-02|url-status=dead}}</ref> Using ]s, artillery, and more than 100 tanks, they managed to seize control of Mahabad after just a few hours. Iranian forces continued pushing forward and took the town of ]. More than 500 people were killed during the siege.<ref name="np">{{Cite web|url=http://iranhrdc.org/files/pdf_en/1979-Newspapers/9-04-79-Iranians-take-rebel-Kurdish-town.pdf|title=Iranians take rebel Kurdish town|publisher=Iran Human Rights Documentation Center|access-date=2012-05-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131109105510/http://iranhrdc.org/files/pdf_en/1979-Newspapers/9-04-79-Iranians-take-rebel-Kurdish-town.pdf|archive-date=2013-11-09|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="siege"/> By the end of the campaign, Iranian forces had also recaptured ], ], ], ], and ]. The Kurdish ] retreated into the mountains during the attacks and resumed their offensive six weeks later, returning to Mahabad and using ]s and ]s to fight the Iranian troops. At the end of November, while the Iranian government was occupied with other events in the country such as the ], the Kurds sieged Sanandaj, Saqqez, and other captured cities and towns.<ref name=ward/> | ||
In a ] speech on December 17, Khomeini said that ethnic minorities were contrary to Islamic doctrines and that those against the union of Muslim countries were at fault for creating the issue of nationalism within these minority groups.<ref name=mcdowall/> In late January, after President ] took office, Revolutionary Guard units and government-aligned Kurds unsuccessfully attacked rebels in the region, resulting in a stalemate that lasted until spring. By May 1980, Kurds still controlled most of Kurdistan's roads and rural areas and held Mahabad as their capital. The KDPI claimed to have more than 7,000 fighters at this time. | |||
The defenders were overwhelmed by the power of the Iranian offensive, using heavy artillery, tanks, and air cover, but managed some effective resistance. Despite the heavy casualties, the bulk of Kurdish Peshmerga evaded capture and death, and retreated into the mountains.<ref name=ward/> Iranian forces managed to retake the cities of Marivan, Bastam, Baneh, Sardasht, Mahabad, Bukan and Saqqez by the end of the operation. The Kurds resumed their offensive six weeks later, returning to Mahabad and combating the armored forces of Iran with Molotov cocktails and RPGs.<ref name=ward/> At the end of November, Kurds also attacked Sanandaj, Saqqez, and other Kurdish cities and towns.<ref name=ward/> The Kurdish offensive continued, as the Iranian government was distracted by other events in the country, such as the ] in Tehran. | |||
In a speech on 17 December 1979, Khomeini called the concept of ethnic minorities contrary to Islamic doctrines. He also accused ''those'' ''who do not wish Muslim countries to be united'' of creating the issue of nationalism among minorities. His views were shared by many in the clerical leadership.<ref>Ayatollah Khomeini's Speech, Radio Tehran, December 17, 1979. Quoted in David McDowall, ''A Modern History of the Kurds'' (London: ], 1996, p. 271</ref> | |||
In late January 1980, After the new Iranian administration of President ] took office, Revolutionary Guard units and government-aligned Kurds unsuccessfully battled rebels in the region, resulting in a stalemate that lasted until spring. By May 1980, Kurds still controlled much of the regions' roads, rural areas and held once again the city of Mahabad as their capital. The KDPI claimed to have over 7,000 fighters at the time. | |||
===Spring 1980 Iranian offensive=== | ===Spring 1980 Iranian offensive=== | ||
In the spring of 1980, government forces under the command of President |
In the spring of 1980, government forces under the command of President Banisadr once again captured most of the Kurdish cities through a massive military campaign, sending in mechanized military divisions to Kurdish cities including ],{{citation needed|date=May 2012}} ], and ].{{citation needed|date=March 2023}} Neighbourhoods of some villages and towns were destroyed as a result of the fighting between Kurdish rebels and government forces.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=N0SVAwAAQBAJ&q=iran+kurdistan+towns+destroyed&pg=PA9|date=2014-10-07|title=Kurds and the State in Iran: The Making of Kurdish Identity|isbn=9781780768236|last1=Valli|first1=Abbas|access-date=2020-11-07|archive-date=2021-09-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210916232927/https://books.google.com/books?id=N0SVAwAAQBAJ&q=iran+kurdistan+towns+destroyed&pg=PA9|url-status=live}}</ref> Ayatollah ] sentenced thousands of Kurds to execution after ]s.{{citation needed|date=June 2013}} The Kurds continued to control Mahabad as the summer fighting diminished. Iranian-Iraqi tensions grew amid Iraqi attacks on ] and ], prompting Iran to move its army to the border.<ref name=ward/><ref>{{cite web |date=2021-07-31 |title=مروری بر برخی حوادث قبل از آغاز جنگ تحمیلی در غرب کشور (مردادماه 1359) |trans-title=An overview of some events before the start of the imposed war in the west of the country |url=https://www.isna.ir/news/1400050905900/%D9%85%D8%B1%D9%88%D8%B1%DB%8C-%D8%A8%D8%B1-%D8%A8%D8%B1%D8%AE%DB%8C-%D8%AD%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%AF%D8%AB-%D9%82%D8%A8%D9%84-%D8%A7%D8%B2-%D8%A2%D8%BA%D8%A7%D8%B2-%D8%AC%D9%86%DA%AF-%D8%AA%D8%AD%D9%85%DB%8C%D9%84%DB%8C-%D8%AF%D8%B1-%D8%BA%D8%B1%D8%A8-%DA%A9%D8%B4%D9%88%D8%B1-%D9%85%D8%B1%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%AF%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%87 |access-date=2022-04-18 |website=ISNA |language=fa |archive-date=2022-04-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220418012243/https://www.isna.ir/news/1400050905900/%D9%85%D8%B1%D9%88%D8%B1%DB%8C-%D8%A8%D8%B1-%D8%A8%D8%B1%D8%AE%DB%8C-%D8%AD%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%AF%D8%AB-%D9%82%D8%A8%D9%84-%D8%A7%D8%B2-%D8%A2%D8%BA%D8%A7%D8%B2-%D8%AC%D9%86%DA%AF-%D8%AA%D8%AD%D9%85%DB%8C%D9%84%DB%8C-%D8%AF%D8%B1-%D8%BA%D8%B1%D8%A8-%DA%A9%D8%B4%D9%88%D8%B1-%D9%85%D8%B1%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%AF%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%87 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Homan |first=Richard |date=1980-04-09 |title=Iran, Iraq on War Footing |language=en-US |newspaper=Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1980/04/09/iran-iraq-on-war-footing/2b436586-7e6a-4938-93bf-e19f191113b9/ |access-date=2022-04-18 |issn=0190-8286 |archive-date=2017-08-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170828141745/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1980/04/09/iran-iraq-on-war-footing/2b436586-7e6a-4938-93bf-e19f191113b9/ |url-status=live }}</ref> | ||
===Autumn 1980 Iranian operations=== | ===Autumn 1980 Iranian operations=== | ||
Mahabad remained under Kurdish control for another five months until the ] bled into the Kurdistan province. Following this invasion, President Banisadr ordered a ceasefire, but the Revolutionary Guard ignored him and continued their campaign.<ref name=ward/> The situation was further complicated by Iranian Kurds receiving Iraqi support for the insurgency.<ref name=factsonfile/> It was initially assumed that Iraqi and Iranian Kurds would cooperate to exploit weaknesses on both sides. Neither ] nor ] were willing to accept that outcome and both sides insisted on organizing special loyalist Kurdish military units to participate in the war and to demonstrate allegiance to their respective states.<ref name=factsonfile/> | |||
Kurdish force continued to hold Mahabad for five more months, as the Province of Kurdistan became a theater of the Iran–Iraq War. Although Iranian President Banisadr ordered a cease-fire with the Kurds following the Iraqi invasion, the Revolutionary Guard ignored him, continuing their campaigns.<ref name=ward/> | |||
Prior to June 1980, the KDPI requested an official allegiance with Saddam Hussein's ], resulting in the signing of a seven-point agreement in ]. According to Ghassemlou, Iraq provided the Kurdish forces with ammunition and anti-aircraft missiles taken from the Iranian army.<ref>{{cite web|date=2021-05-09|title=ارتباط عبدالرحمن قاسملو و صدام|trans-title=Relationship between Abdul Rahman Qasemlu and Saddam|url=http://www.asrislam.com/fa/news/24624/%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%AA%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B7-%D8%B9%D8%A8%D8%AF%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B1%D8%AD%D9%85%D9%86-%E2%80%8E%D9%82%D8%A7%D8%B3%D9%85%D9%84%D9%88-%D9%88-%D8%B5%D8%AF%D8%A7%D9%85|access-date=2022-04-18|publisher=Asr Islam|language=fa|archive-date=2021-06-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210627184036/http://www.asrislam.com/fa/news/24624/%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%AA%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B7-%D8%B9%D8%A8%D8%AF%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B1%D8%AD%D9%85%D9%86-%E2%80%8E%D9%82%D8%A7%D8%B3%D9%85%D9%84%D9%88-%D9%88-%D8%B5%D8%AF%D8%A7%D9%85|url-status=dead}}</ref> Despite this alliance, however, Ghassemlou still pursued neutrality against Iraqi Kurdish factions, such as the ] and the ], and served as an intermediary in negotiations between these groups and Baghdad.<ref>{{cite web |date=2021-12-23 |title=قاسملو؛ سرسپرده صدّام، علیه ایران، به گزارش ویکی لیکس |trans-title=Qassemlou; Saddam's plot against Iran, according to Wiki Leaks |url=http://azariha.org/8488/%D9%82%D8%A7%D8%B3%D9%85%D9%84%D9%88%D8%9B-%D8%B3%D8%B1%D8%B3%D9%BE%D8%B1%D8%AF%D9%87-%D8%B5%D8%AF%D9%91%D8%A7%D9%85%D8%8C-%D8%B9%D9%84%DB%8C%D9%87-%D8%A7%DB%8C%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%8C-%D8%A8%D9%87/ |access-date=2022-04-18 |website=Azariha |language=fa-IR |archive-date=2022-01-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220128063903/http://azariha.org/8488/%D9%82%D8%A7%D8%B3%D9%85%D9%84%D9%88%D8%9B-%D8%B3%D8%B1%D8%B3%D9%BE%D8%B1%D8%AF%D9%87-%D8%B5%D8%AF%D9%91%D8%A7%D9%85%D8%8C-%D8%B9%D9%84%DB%8C%D9%87-%D8%A7%DB%8C%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%8C-%D8%A8%D9%87/ |url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
The confrontation between Tehran and the Kurds intensified sharply when the Iran–Iraq War broke out, as Iran faced Iraqi support to the Kurdish insurgency in Iran while waging its own campaign to encourage the uprising of various groups within Iraq.<ref name=factsonfile/> It was initially assumed that Iraqi and Iranian Kurds would cooperate to exploit weaknesses on both sides. Unsurprisingly, neither Baghdad nor Tehran was willing to accept that outcome. Rather, both sides insisted on organizing special loyalist Kurdish military units to participate in the war and to demonstrate allegiance to their respective states.<ref name=factsonfile/> | |||
The alliance with Iraq created divides within the KDPI. In late May, Ghani Bulurian and six other central committee members renounced their party membership and published Ghassemlou's private correspondence with the Iraqis, including information about a meeting between him and Iraqi vice president ].<ref name=mcdowall/> | |||
Before June of 1980, the fighting had driven Ghassemlou's ] to request an official alliance with ]'s ], which resulted in the signing of a seven-point agreement in ]. According to Ghassemlou, Iraq provided them with ammunition and anti-aircraft missiles, as they already had captured weapons from the Iranian army and did not need more of them.<ref>{{Cite web |date=9 May 2021 |title=ارتباط عبدالرحمن قاسملو و صدام |trans-title=Relationship between Abdul Rahman Qasemlu and Saddam |url=http://www.asrislam.com/fa/news/24624/%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%AA%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B7-%D8%B9%D8%A8%D8%AF%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B1%D8%AD%D9%85%D9%86-%E2%80%8E%D9%82%D8%A7%D8%B3%D9%85%D9%84%D9%88-%D9%88-%D8%B5%D8%AF%D8%A7%D9%85 |access-date=2022-04-18 |website=Asr Islam}}</ref> Despite his alliance with Iraq, however, Ghassemlou pursued a policy of neutrality towards Iraqi Kurdish factions, such as the ] and ], and aided negotiations between them and Baghdad.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-12-23 |title=قاسملو؛ سرسپرده صدّام، علیه ایران، به گزارش ویکیلیکس |trans-title=Qassemlou; Saddam's plot against Iran, according to Wiki Leaks |url=http://azariha.org/8488/قاسملو؛-سرسپرده-صدّام،-علیه-ایران،-به/ |access-date=2022-04-18 |website=Azariha |language=fa-IR}}</ref> | |||
The policy of pursuing relations with ] caused splits within the party, and in late May 1980, Ghani Bulurian and six others from the party's central committee renounced their party membership, alongside publishing Ghassemlou's private correspondences with the Iraqis, including information about a meeting between him and Iraqi vice president ].<ref>{{Cite book |last=McDowall |first=David |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Tt4fEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA280 |title=A Modern History of the Kurds |date=2021-03-25 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |isbn=978-0-7556-0078-6 |language=en}}</ref> | |||
===Final stage=== | ===Final stage=== | ||
In January 1981, the Iraqi army successfully established a supply line to KDPI strongholds through ] and Qasr-e Shirin, and began sending military equipment their way. This allowed the KDPI to cut off the Baghdad-Tehran highway, |
In January 1981, the Iraqi army successfully established a supply line to KDPI strongholds through ] and ], and began sending military equipment their way. This allowed the KDPI to cut off the Baghdad-Tehran highway, blocking Iranian forces from using this main thoroughfare. By late 1981, however, a counteroffensive from the Iranian forces pushed Iraqi forces back over the border, debilitating the KDPI and rendering them a marginal military factor for the rest of the war.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Kurdish Factor in Iran-Iraq Relations |url=https://www.mei.edu/publications/kurdish-factor-iran-iraq-relations |access-date=2022-04-18 |publisher=Middle East Institute |last=Entessar |first=Nader |archive-date=2020-11-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201115181543/https://www.mei.edu/publications/kurdish-factor-iran-iraq-relations |url-status=live }}</ref> More than 10,000 Kurdish forces were alleged to have been killed.{{citation needed|date=March 2023}} | ||
While the KDPI had been militarily defeated by the end of 1981, armed remnants of the group continued to shelter in northern Iraq.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Rudolph Jr. |first=Joseph R. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OjkVCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA490 |title=Encyclopedia of Modern Ethnic Conflicts, 2nd Edition |date=2015-12-07 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-1-61069-553-4 |language=en}}</ref> Small groups of KDPI soldiers continued to engage in low-level campaigns against Iranian forces up until 1983, as more Iranian forces were diverted to the Iraqi front amid escalation of the Iran-Iraq war.<ref name="bbc" /> Komala militants also moved their military bases to Iraqi Kurdistan following Iranian operations on the border.<ref name=":1" /> | |||
February 24 1979: Kurds in Mahabad seize army barracks and takeover the city. ^ Forouhar a government representative is sent to negotiate with kurds | |||
==Timeline from February 24 1979 to May 31st 1980== | |||
{{unreferenced section|date=July 2022}} | |||
February 25 1979: Iranian 2 phantom jets bomb Kurdish villages near Iraqi border. | |||
March 1st 1979: Mahanad people still hold army barracks. Demonstrations and clashes are happening everywhere in places like Saqqiz, and Mahabad | |||
March 2nd 1979: Mahabad is the only Kurdish city not controlled by Khomeini. In Kermanshah the Kurds are running political shows and have taken over the local brigade-sized army camp. | |||
March 3rd 1979: the Kurds went on the march to back their claims for autonomy. Two hundred thousands rallied in Mahabad, the first public display of the revival of the Kurdistan Democratic Party. THE K.D.P.'s message is clear -- they demanded autonomy within Iran, not succession. | |||
March 4th 1979: Major Kurdish cities such as Mahabad, Saanadaj, and Kermanshah the Kurdish language is being set as an official language and armed rebels have control over law and order(not fully the cities mentioned expect for Mahabad). | |||
Kurdish 1979 rebellion Starts March 17th 1979: Kurds in Sanandaj begin to fight, because the army refuses to give kurds ammunition | |||
March 19th 1979: In Sanandaj protests start to erupt and capture many army barracks because Iran refused to distribute weapons, armed Kurds begin to fight iranian troops. In Mountainous region between Iraq and Iran border Kurds seize control over army barracks and radio stations, in response two helicopter gunships fired at the rebels with casualties at 170. | |||
March 20th 1979: Fighting goes on in Sanandaj with more armed Kurds being fired at with helicopters, fighting had been going on in the past days with deaths at 106. | |||
March 21th 1979: Fighting goes on in Sanandaj with deaths at 100. | |||
March 22th 1979: Fighting goes on with Kurds ripping Khomeini posters | |||
March 23th 1979: In Sanandaj fighting slows down with the relasement of 168 political prisoners and ceasefire | |||
March 25th 1979: Negociations between ayotollah taleghi and Mufti Zadeh in Sanandaj | |||
March 26th 1979: Additional 97 kurdish political prisoners are released in Sanandaj | |||
March 28th 1979: Light fighting still goes on in Sanandaj | |||
April 2nd 1979: Conflict intensifies near the iraqi border | |||
April 21st 1979: roads leading to Naqadeh city were blocked by kurdish Komalah with casualties at 10. | |||
April 22nd 1979: Fighting between Kurds and Turks intensifies in the town of Naqadeh with iranian troops rushing in the town, the casualties were at 80 deaths. | |||
April 26th 1979: the Fighting between Turks and Kurds is calmed in the west azerbaijan province with about 1,000 deaths | |||
June 4th 1979: Iraq fighting jets bombard severlad kurdish ianian villages with the deaths at 7. | |||
June 4th 1979: In Mahabad thousands of Kurds protested for autonomy | |||
July 24th 1979: Kurdish rebels seize army barracks in Khoy July 28th 1979: Clashes continue in western Kurdistan province for control over roads leading to the Iraq border with deaths being at 20. All residents of Marivan have reported to have fled the city, with iranian troops moving in to fight rebels that have control over Marivan and the hills surrounding it.(rebels have surrounded the city but troops have the city). Marivan to Iraqi borders road is blocked by Kurdish rebels, and fightin goes on there with 20 iranian troops being killed. Iranian troops control roads leading to Marivan from the east. The rebels mostly control the west of Marivan leading to the Iraqi border.Rebels have control over railroads leading into Turkey. | |||
August 14th 1979: About 2,000 Kurdish PDKI rebels begin clashes in the town of Paveh | |||
August 16th 1979: Kurdish rebels occupy the town of Paveh after 2 days of fighting with 18 deaths. Kurds control mountain passes that lead to Paveh | |||
August 18th 1979: Mustafa chamaran is trapped by Kurdish rebels in the city. Later on the iranian troops have crushed the rebellion in Paveh with Kurds fleeing into the surrounding mountains | |||
August 19th 1979: Iranian troops are on the outskirts of Sanandaj ready to attack. 11 Kurdish rebels from paveh were executed. | |||
August 21st 1979: 29 kurdish rebels were executed. Iranian troops move towards the province of Kurdisan. Iranian troops and Kurdish rebels fight north of the Mahabad county(august 20th). Kurdish rebels controlled all roads leading ot Mahabad. | |||
August 23rd 1979: clashes continue and 89 kurdish rebels are killed. Heavy fighting goes on in the town in rebels hands called Saqqiz with about 2,000 Kurdish rebels, rebels managed to push iranian troops 12 miles outside the town, fighting is happening in the edge of Saqqiz. Around 102 iranian troops were killed. Around 5,000 iranian troops are fighting in the Kurdistan region. Rebels had control over importantroute south of Saqqiz leading to the Iraqi border(50 miles from the iraq border). Rebels also held Baneh and Bukan. | |||
August 24th 1979: 20 miles outside Mahabad heavy fighting had taken place with a stalemate on both sides. | |||
August 25th 1979: According to government officials the town of Saqqiz had fallen(august 24th) but the PDKI denied this. 29 Kurds had been executed. Saqqiz it reality was controlled by the rebels and itranian troops on two different sides, with both getting in reinforcements. Additional 16 deaths. Highway from yesterday and today between Saqqiz and Mahabad had been completely under control of rebels groups. Iranian troops had bases in Miandoab but rebels controlled the roads connecting miandoab to Mahabad. Iranian troops have surrounded the city, de Ghassemlou states that there are 100,000 armed kurds all around Kurdistan. 9 kurds are executed in marivan | |||
August 26th 1979: Saqqiz is occupied by the iranian troops. Iranian troops await in a small village of Solduz 20 miles from mahabad. | |||
August 27th 1979: 11 kurds executed near sanandaj, cease-fires are being decided(Sanandaj county northern region is captured) | |||
August 28th 1979: 20 kurds were executed, and the cease-fire had been turned down. | |||
August 29th 1979: the mountain town of Jaldian was attacked by rebels. 2 more Kurds were executed. | |||
August 30th 1979: iranian troops are 5 miles away from the city of Mahabad | |||
September 1st 1979: F-4 jets and artillery have pushed back kurds in Saqqez and Bustam, and the mountainous region surrounding Baneh, army tanks are 3 miles away from mahabad. More than 100 kurds will be executed. | |||
September 2nd 1979: Kurdish rebels numbering at around 20,000 managed to repel 400 iranian troops from the mountains of Mahabad who were moving from the south, troops retreated to miandoab. Troops had captured 2 cities near Mahabad. Troops control all routes leading to Mahabad. Rebels had given up the town of Bukan. Troops had defeated rebels in Piranshahr. 17 troops had been ambushed with funerals taking place in Naqadeh. | |||
September 3rd 1979: Kurdish rebels move south and fight in a town 40 miles away from Mahabad. Troops break kurdish line of defense. | |||
September 4th 1979: Iranian troops break through the cities defense on south and north of Mahabad. Rebels flee to Sardasht to get ready for another guerilla war. Iranian troops push into Baneh county from the west with the fall of Mahabad. Kurds kill 16 troops near Doab region. | |||
September 5th 1979: 50,000 armed kurdish rebels flee to the Iraqi border. Rebels have been trapped in Sardasht region. 8 kurdish rebels had been executed. Rebels capture Piranshahr town. September 6th 1979: Sardasht had been captured. 10,000 Kurdish rebels fled the town of Sardasht to the rural areas of Sardasht. Clashes still go on in regions in northwestern iran`. Minor clashes in Mahabad. Ultimatum had been sent to rebels around the Saqqiz region and that had captured Saqqiz. | |||
September 7th 1979: 5,000 turkish kurds volunteered to fight alongside the rebels in Iran, they promised that they would have control over the turkish-iranian frontier. October 13th 1979: Rebels slowly move towards Mahabd and capture some regions October 20th 1979: Kurdish rebels recapture Mahabad. | |||
October 31st 1979: Mahabad falls fully under the control of 1,000 PDKI rebels. Rebels claimed to have controlled most roads leading to Mahabad. | |||
November 2nd 1979: Government starts negotiations with the PDKI to give them some kind of self-rule | |||
November: Sometime in November rebels enter Shino | |||
November 3rd 1979: Iranian troops were ordered to stop fighting for peace plans, non-Kurdish leftist rebels were fighting in Baneh to disrupt the peace. | |||
November 20th 1979: Ghasemlou delivers a speech in Mahabad | |||
November 26th 1979: Kurds declare a truce in Iran and vow to fight USA alongside iranian troops. 20 day cease-fire has been put into action with troops withdrawing from Kurdish regions. | |||
Towards the end of November: attacks against almost every significant kurdish city begins again | |||
December 3rd 1979: Kurds do not participate in the referendum | |||
December 4th 1979: Tensions are increasing among the negotiations. | |||
December 6th 1979: Iranian troops move into Kurdistan to stop the unrest after the referendum. Helicopters have bombed 3 Kurdish villages near Urmia, military is trying to surround Sanadaj. | |||
December 30th 1979: Revolutionary guards have been kidnapped near the province of Kermanshah. | |||
January 1st 1980: Heavy fighting breaks out in Sanandaj | |||
Despite the KDPI's military defeat, armed remnants of the group continued to shelter in northern Iraq<ref name=":0">{{cite book |last=Rudolph Jr. |first=Joseph R. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OjkVCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA490 |title=Encyclopedia of Modern Ethnic Conflicts |edition=2 |date=2015-12-07 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-1-61069-553-4 |access-date=2022-04-19 |archive-date=2023-11-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231109165135/https://books.google.com/books?id=OjkVCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA490 |url-status=live }}</ref> and engage in low-level campaigns against Iranian forces. This lasted until 1983, when more Iranian forces were diverted to the Iraqi front amid escalation of the Iran-Iraq War.<ref name="bbc" /> Komala militants also moved their military bases to ] following Iranian operations on the border.<ref name=":1" /> | |||
May 31st 1980: Kurdish rebels present in Baneh | |||
==Aftermath== | ==Aftermath== | ||
{{further|KDPI insurgency (1989-96)}} | {{further|KDPI insurgency (1989-96)}} | ||
While most of |
While most of KDPI's military and political activity in Iran was greatly reduced after the 1979-1981 rebellion, they continued their opposition activities throughout the 1980s. Starting in 1985, ] broke out between the KDPI and Komala inside northern Iraq, leading to hundreds of deaths among the two rebel groups.<ref name=":0" /> In 1989, the KDPI resumed its ] against the government. Following a political and military crackdown in 1996, the conflict between KDPI and the Iranian government mainly shifted to political opposition abroad rather than violence within the country. ] was renewed in 2004 by the ], a militant group affiliated with the Turkish ] and the ]. | ||
==Timeline of events in 1979== | |||
Beginning in 1985, military ] broke out between the KDPI and ] inside northern Iraq, leading to hundreds of deaths among the two rebel groups.<ref name=":0" /> | |||
{{unreferenced section|date=July 2022}} | |||
'''February 1979''' | |||
* February 25: Iranian ] jets bomb Kurdish villages near the Iraqi border. | |||
'''March 1979''' | |||
Since 1996, following an effective political and military crackdown, the conflict of KDPI against the Iranian government mainly shifted to political opposition abroad. | |||
* March 1: Mahabad remains in control of army barracks. Demonstrations and clashes occur across Kurdistan, including in Saqqiz and Mahabad. | |||
* March 2: Mahabad remains the only Kurdish city not under Khomeini's control. The Kurds maintain political control in ] and have control over the local brigade-sized army camp. | |||
* March 3: Two hundred thousand Kurds rally in Mahabad, the first public display of the KDPI's revival, to demand autonomy. | |||
* March 4: Mahabad, Saanadaj, and Kermanshah set their official language as the ]. Armed rebels have control over law and order. | |||
* March 17: The rebellion begins. | |||
* March 19: Protests erupt in Sanandaj and the army barracks are captured. After being denied ammunition from the army, Kurdish forces arm themselves using supplies from the barracks. In the mountainous region along the Iraqi border, Kurds seize army barracks and radio stations. Two helicopters from the government fire at the rebels and 170 are killed. | |||
* March 20: Casualties reach 106 in Sanandaj as helicopters are sent to the city. | |||
* March 23: Fighting in Sanandaj slows and 168 political prisoners are released. A ceasefire is declared. | |||
* March 25: Negotiations between ] and ] take place in Sanandaj. | |||
* March 26: Ninety-seven more Kurdish political prisoners are released. | |||
'''April 1979''' | |||
A ] has taken place in Iranian Kurdistan since 2004 by another Kurdish militant organization— ], affiliated with the Turkish ] as part of the ]. | |||
* April 2: Conflict intensifies near the Iraqi border. | |||
* April 21: Komala blocks the road leading to ] and 10 people are killed. | |||
* April 22: Fighting between Kurds and Turks intensifies in Naqadeh, with casualties reaching 80. Iranian forces arrive. | |||
* April 26: Fighting between Kurds and Turks largely subsides in ] with casualties at 1,000. | |||
'''June 1979''' | |||
==Conflict parties== | |||
* June 4: Iraqi fighter jets attack several villages in Kurdistan and kill seven. Thousands of Kurds resume protesting for autonomy in Mahabad. | |||
* ]<ref name=gs/> | |||
* ]<ref name=gs/> | |||
* ] (Komalay Shorshgeri Zahmatkeshani Kurdistani Iran), or Komala, or Society of the Revolutionary Toilers of Iranian Kurdistan) <ref name=gs/> | |||
* ]<ref name=gs>{{cite web|url=http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/war/kurdistan-iran.htm|title=Kurdistan - Iran|access-date=2012-03-18|archive-date=2017-12-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171210080431/https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/war/kurdistan-iran.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
* ] | |||
'''July 1979''' | |||
==In media== | |||
* July 24: Kurdish rebels seize army barracks in ]. | |||
===Ettela'at newspaper publication=== | |||
* July 28: Forces fight for control of roads in Kurdistan leading to the Iraqi border, numbering 20 casualties. Residents of ] flee as Iranian troops invade and take control of the city. Kurdish troops remain in the surrounding hills and block Marivan-to-Iraq border roads; 20 Iranian soldiers are killed. Rebels also control railroads leading to Turkey. Roads to Marivan from the east are controlled by the government. | |||
On 27 August 1979, in Sanandaj, Iran, 11 Kurdish prisoners were executed by a firing squad following a 30-minute trial under chief justice ].<ref name=tm>{{Cite web |url=http://www.timelinesdb.com/listevents.php?subjid=388&title=Kurds |title=Archived copy |access-date=2012-05-17 |archive-date=2016-03-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306153752/http://timelinesdb.com/listevents.php?subjid=388&title=kurds |url-status=live }}</ref> ], a photographer for Iran's independent Ettela’at newspaper, captured the execution on film.<ref name=tm/> | |||
'''August 1979''' | |||
Within hours an anonymous photo of the execution ran across 6 columns of the paper. On September 8, the newspaper was seized by the Foundation for the Disinherited, a state-owned holding company.<ref name=tm/> On April 14, 1980, the photo won a Pulitzer Prize. In 2006, Razmi made public 27 images from the execution that he had kept hidden.<ref name=tm/> | |||
* August 14: About 2,000 Kurdish KDPI rebels begin clashes in Paveh. | |||
* August 16: After 2 days and 18 casualties, Kurdish rebels gain control of Paveh and its surrounding mountain passes. | |||
* August 18: ] is trapped in Paveh by Kurdish troops. Later, Iranian troops retake the city and the Kurds return to the surrounding mountains. | |||
* August 19: Iranian troops appear on the outskirts of Sanandaj. Eleven Kurdish rebels from Paveh are executed. | |||
* August 20: Iranian troops and Kurdish rebels fight north of ]. | |||
* August 21: Twenty-nine more rebels are executed as Iranian troops move towards Kurdistan. Rebels maintain control of all roads leading to Mahabad. | |||
* August 23: Fighting continues. Eighty-nine rebels and 102 Iranian troops are killed. Kurd-controlled Saqqiz avoids capture as 2,000 Kurdish soldiers push Iranian troops {{convert|12|mi|km}} out of town. At this point, around 5,000 Iranian troops have been deployed to Kurdistan. Rebels gain control of an important border route south of Saqqiz and hold both ] and ]. | |||
* August 24: A stalemate occurs {{convert|20|mi|km}} outside of Mahabad. Iranian army has presence in the outskirts of Saqqez where town is under rebel control. 22 government troops are killed when moving towards Saqqez via Sanandaj. | |||
* August 25: Government officials announce Saqqiz has fallen but the KDPI denies this. Each camp controls half of the city. Twenty-nine Kurds are executed and there are 16 fighting casualties. The highway between Saqqiz and Mahabad and ] to Mahabad remain under rebel control. Iranian troops surround Miandoab and nine Kurds are executed in ]. Ghassemlou estimates that there are 100,000 armed rebels around the province. | |||
=== Che (2014 film) === | |||
* August 26: Saqqiz is officially occupied by Iranian troops. Their next planned strike is ]. | |||
In 2014, a film by the name of ] was produced detailing the experiences of ] during the battle for the city of ], part of the 1979 conflict in Kurdistan province.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-03-04 |title=Soft War: The 2014 Fajr International Film Festival {{!}} Iran Media Program |url=http://www.iranmediaresearch.org/en/blog/227/14/03/05/1604# |access-date=2022-04-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304102405/http://www.iranmediaresearch.org/en/blog/227/14/03/05/1604# |archive-date=2016-03-04 }}</ref> It won a number of awards, including two ] in the fields of best editing and best visual effects.<ref>{{Cite web |title="Hussein, Who Said No", "Che" scoop up awards at Fajr Film Festival |url=http://www.payvand.com/news/14/feb/1094.html |access-date=2022-04-27 |website=www.payvand.com}}</ref> | |||
* August 27: Ceasefires are negotiated while 11 Kurds are executed near Sanandaj and the northern region of ] is captured. | |||
* August 28: Ceasefires are declined and 20 Kurds are executed. | |||
* August 29: ] is attacked by rebels. Two more Kurds are executed. | |||
* August 30: Iranian troops continue to close in on Mahabad. | |||
'''September 1979''' | |||
==List of footage or documentries taken during the rebellion== | |||
* September 1: ]s and artillery push Kurds out of Saqqez, ], and the mountainous region surrounding Baneh. Iranian tanks are within {{convert|3|mi|km}} of Mahabad and more than 100 Kurds are executed. | |||
https://www.britishpathe.com/video/VLVAKFVVVZMAFD0PE233KMJLU06Q-IRAN-KURDS-GATHER-TO-DEMAND-SELF-RULE-WITHIN-IRAN/query/kurds | |||
* September 2: Twenty thousand rebels push 400 Iranian troops from the mountains of Mahabad. Iranian troops retreat to Miandoab and manage to capture Bukan and ]. They also now control all routes leading to Mahabad. Iranian funerals are held in Naqadeh. | |||
* September 3: Rebel forces move south but Iranian troops break their line of defense. | |||
* September 4: Iranian troops capture Mahabad and push into ]. Rebels retreat to Sardasht and manage to kill 16 Iranian troops near ]. | |||
* September 5: Rebels are captured in Sardasht and eight are executed. Fifty thousand armed Kurds flee to the Iraqi border but manage to capture Piranshahr. | |||
* September 6: Sardasht is captured by the Iranians. An ultimatum has been offered to rebels near Saqqiz. | |||
* September 7: Five thousand Turkish Kurds volunteer to fight alongside the rebels. | |||
'''October 1979''' | |||
https://www.britishpathe.com/video/VLVAC2G26LGKFZ4TZVDARI4EZXH43-IRAN-KURDS-FIGHT-ON-THOUGH-AYATOLLAH-KHOMEINI-THREATENS-TO/query/kurds | |||
* October 13: Rebels move towards Mahabad. | |||
* October 20: Rebels recapture Mahabad. | |||
* October 31: Rebels claim control of most roads leading to Mahabad. | |||
'''November 1979''' | |||
https://www.britishpathe.com/video/VLVA9RQZJSK04X5SA2X12XEPFMZL8-RTV/query/kurds | |||
* November 2: The government begins negotiations with the KDPI to give them some level of autonomy. | |||
* November 3: Iranian troops are ordered to stop fighting so peace may be negotiated. Non-Kurdish leftist rebels fighting in Baneh disrupt the peace. | |||
* November 20: Ghassemlou delivers a speech in Mahabad. | |||
* November 26: Kurds declare a truce with Iran and agree to ally with them against the United States. A 20-day ceasefire is agreed upon and troops withdraw from Kurdistan. By the end of November, almost every significant Kurdish city is again under attack from government troops. | |||
'''December 1979''' | |||
https://www.britishpathe.com/video/VLVA4561NROX0YTWPSDZECPDHS88B-IRAN-KURDS-BEGIN-TO-MOVE-FREELY-AGAIN-THROUGH-SANANDAJ-AFTER/query/kurds | |||
* December 3: Kurds do not participate in the referendum. | |||
* December 4: Negotiation tensions increase. | |||
* December 6: Iranian troops move into Kurdistan to stop the unrest after the referendum. Helicopters bomb three Kurdish villages near ]. The military begins to surround Sanadaj. | |||
* December 30: Revolutionary Guards are kidnapped near the ]. | |||
==In media== | |||
https://www.britishpathe.com/video/VLVA9RGW03W0RBJHKP4KWD9AF2G43-IRAN-IRANS-ARMED-FORCES-HALT-MILITARY-OPERATIONS-IN-KURDISTAN-IN/query/kurds | |||
In 2006, '']'' photographer ] released 27 photos he had taken of the 1979 firing squad execution of eleven Kurdish prisoners. At the time of the execution, a state-owned holding company seized ''Ettela'at'' after one of these photos ran across six columns of the paper a few weeks later. Razmi won a ] for these photos in 1980.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.timelinesdb.com/listevents.php?subjid=388&title=Kurds |title=Timeline - kurds |access-date=2012-05-17 |archive-date=2016-03-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306153752/http://timelinesdb.com/listevents.php?subjid=388&title=kurds |url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
The 2014 film '']'' won a number of awards, including two ]s in the fields of best editing and best visual effects.<ref>{{cite web|title="Hussein, Who Said No", "Che" scoop up awards at Fajr Film Festival|url=http://www.payvand.com/news/14/feb/1094.html|date=2014-02-13|access-date=2022-04-27|publisher=Payvand|archive-date=2014-04-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140424095206/http://www.payvand.com/news/14/feb/1094.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> The film detailed the experiences of ] during the battle for Paveh.<ref>{{cite web |date=2014-03-05|title=Soft War: The 2014 Fajr International Film Festival|publisher=Iran Media Program |url=http://www.iranmediaresearch.org/en/blog/227/14/03/05/1604 |access-date=2022-04-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304102405/http://www.iranmediaresearch.org/en/blog/227/14/03/05/1604|url-status=dead |archive-date=2016-03-04 }}</ref> | |||
https://www.britishpathe.com/video/VLVA338E96ZAVVZE10P6EMJ8C2XWJ-IRAN-GOVERNMENT-PEACE-MISSION-FLIES-TO-KURDISTAN-TO-DISCUSS/query/kurds | |||
https://www.britishpathe.com/video/VLVADJI1EMYYZU9K5RFDHC2S78MMS-IRAN-INTERVIEW-WITH-CHIEF-OF-CENTRAL-COMMITTEE-OF-THE-DEMOCRATIC/query/kurds | |||
https://www.britishpathe.com/video/VLVAESPZ26FMTD47UDT5EIYU6AWUB-IRAN-KURDISH-REBELS-ATTACK-MAHABAD-POLICE-STATION-AND-IRAQI/query/kurds | |||
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8cApm_byHs | |||
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1y6kyXVnut0 | |||
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LreRdA44rE | |||
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ei1LPyqxr0 | |||
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_dUEoWnUqg | |||
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdXorbhgjsU | |||
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CW_YkLry25c | |||
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32Gbe9X8C4w | |||
https://twitter.com/Komala_english/status/903642103737090049 | |||
Death of Ghasemlou:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVTDVthalvM | |||
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkWcQB1Z9GE | |||
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgPJyoOVDcw | |||
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ac1gjIDA48 | |||
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRl8IutlRu8 | |||
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mnj5hTlJzy8 | |||
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_LYsCJd1P4 | |||
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_CIbLcGbdA | |||
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6dhZFlBaAg | |||
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDArT7QJE9g | |||
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmZvEs4rIn0 | |||
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Sjo-7SFeKo | |||
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJLeH8Yo964 | |||
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ikp5j8A4WM | |||
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUKhYNT35KA | |||
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gayBvjTzSug | |||
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wy7K8fBBJYU | |||
https://www.britishpathe.com/video/VLVAAWOL418AWYJWYM89I3KLA0C5K-IRAN-KURDS-FIGHT-IRANIAN-TROOPS-AT-SAQQEZ/query/kurds | |||
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yU2mR84t5o0 | |||
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yUgBqe71-Y | |||
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIwaI9kv_tE | |||
==See also== | ==See also== | ||
* ] | * ] | ||
* ] | * ] | ||
==Notes== | |||
:1.{{note|a}} "Free to discuss its political views, the KDPI came out of thirty years of clandestine existence and made public claims for political autonomy"; "Despite its criticisms of the regime, in its early post-revolutionary public discourses the KDPI called itself an authentically national and Iranian party." (Denise, pp. 144-145) | |||
:2.{{note|b}} "Instead of creating a cohesive Kurdish nationalist movement, some Kurdish leaders such as Husayni's brother Shaykh Jalal accepted Iraqi military assistance and formed a Sunni militia opposed to the Iranian government and Kurdish nationalist parties. Qasimlu differentiated his real Kurdish nationalist party from traitors within the KDPI. Others, such as the prominent Ghani Bolourian, tried to negotiate with the central government. After the revolution, some Shi'a Kurds from Ilam, Kermanshah and West Azerbaijan turned away from Kurdish nationalists and towards non-Kurdish Shi'a communities. Sunni Kurdish leftists continued to direct the nationalist project in their enclave in Kurdistan Province, having marginal influence over Shi'a Kurds in other regions." (Denise, pp. 1945) | |||
:3.{{note|c}} "Sending in Pasdaran (Revolutionary Guard) rather than regular army troops, and dispatching the Ayatollah Sadiq Khalkhali—the "Hanging Judge"—resulted in the deaths of nearly 10,000 Kurds in the 1979–82 period alone, many in mass executions ordered by Khalkhali." (Smith, p. 19) | |||
==References== | ==References== | ||
Line 305: | Line 197: | ||
==Further reading== | ==Further reading== | ||
* {{cite journal |last1=Alemzadeh |first1=Maryam |title=The attraction of direct action: the making of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps in the Iranian Kurdish conflict |journal=British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies |date=2021 | |
* {{cite journal |last1=Alemzadeh |first1=Maryam |title=The attraction of direct action: the making of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps in the Iranian Kurdish conflict |journal=British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies |date=2021 |volume=50 |issue=3 |pages=589–608|doi=10.1080/13530194.2021.1990013|s2cid=239554621 }} | ||
==External links== | |||
{{columns-start}} | |||
* at ]{{broken|date=March 2023}} | |||
* at British Pathé{{broken link|date=March 2023}} | |||
* at British Pathé{{broken link|date=March 2023}} | |||
* at British Pathé{{broken link|date=March 2023}} | |||
* at British Pathé{{broken link|date=March 2023}} | |||
* at British Pathé{{broken link|date=March 2023}} | |||
* at British Pathé{{broken link|date=March 2023}} | |||
* at British Pathé{{broken link|date=March 2023}} | |||
* {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221212215713/https://twitter.com/Komala_english/status/903642103737090049 |date=2022-12-12 }} from the ] on ] | |||
* {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220722032325/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8cApm_byHs |date=2022-07-22 }} {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220722032325/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8cApm_byHs |date=2022-07-22 }}<!--video title: ئەی شەهیدان - Razzazi--> from Mardin Razzazi on ] | |||
* {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220722032318/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1y6kyXVnut0 |date=2022-07-22 }} from the ] on YouTube | |||
* {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220722032329/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LreRdA44rE&gl=US&hl=en |date=2022-07-22 }} on YouTube | |||
* {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220722032324/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ei1LPyqxr0 |date=2022-07-22 }} <!--video title:پيشمرگان کومەله سال ۱۳٦۱ ... جنوب کردستان--> on YouTube | |||
* {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220722032320/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_dUEoWnUqg |date=2022-07-22 }} {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220722032320/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_dUEoWnUqg |date=2022-07-22 }}<!--video titleحەماسەی قارەمانانی دێمۆکرات، شەری سێ پەکان، ساڵی ١٣٦٧ بەشی ٢--> on YouTube | |||
* {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220722032328/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdXorbhgjsU&gl=US&hl=en |date=2022-07-22 }} <!--video title:ژنان و کچانی کورد شان بەشانی براکانیان لە سەنگەری بەرگی دا--> on YouTube | |||
* {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220722032329/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CW_YkLry25c&gl=US&hl=en |date=2022-07-22 }} {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220722032329/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CW_YkLry25c&gl=US&hl=en |date=2022-07-22 }}<!--video title: سەردانی شەهید د. قاسملوو و د. شەرەفکەندیی لە بەرەکانی شەر لە ناوچەی مەهاباد--> on YouTube | |||
* {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220722032329/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32Gbe9X8C4w&gl=US&hl=en |date=2022-07-22 }} <!--video title: شەڕی پێشمەرگەكانی حیزبی دێموكراتی كوردستانی ئێران-Şerê Pêşmergeyên PDKÎ--> on YouTube | |||
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* {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220722032329/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVTDVthalvM&gl=US&hl=en |date=2022-07-22 }} <!--video title: بەرنامەی ڕووداو و مێژوو - تیرۆرکردنی قاسملۆ - بەشی یەکەم--> from Kotay on YouTube | |||
* {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220722032335/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkWcQB1Z9GE&gl=US&hl=en |date=2022-07-22 }} <!--video title: منطقه مريوان--> from Azadi B on YouTube | |||
* {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220722032329/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgPJyoOVDcw&gl=US&hl=en |date=2022-07-22 }} <!--video title: منصور حکمت در کردستان - قسمت اول--> from Azadi B on YouTube | |||
* {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220722032329/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_LYsCJd1P4&gl=US&hl=en |date=2022-07-22 }} <!--video title: منصور حکمت در کردستان - قسمت دوم--> from Azadi B on YouTube | |||
* {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220722032329/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ac1gjIDA48&gl=US&hl=en |date=2022-07-22 }} {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220722032329/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ac1gjIDA48&gl=US&hl=en |date=2022-07-22 }}<!--video title: پيشمرگان کومه له ... روستاى بس--> from Azadi B on YouTube | |||
* {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220722032316/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRl8IutlRu8 |date=2022-07-22 }} {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220722032316/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRl8IutlRu8 |date=2022-07-22 }}<!--video title: گردان ٢٢ اروميه--> from Azadi B on YouTube | |||
* {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220722032317/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mnj5hTlJzy8 |date=2022-07-22 }} {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220722032317/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mnj5hTlJzy8 |date=2022-07-22 }}<!--video title: پيشمرگان کومه له--> from Azadi B on YouTube | |||
* {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220722032323/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_CIbLcGbdA |date=2022-07-22 }} {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220722032323/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_CIbLcGbdA |date=2022-07-22 }}<!--video title: پيشمرگان کومه له--> from Azadi B on YouTube | |||
* {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220722032329/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6dhZFlBaAg&gl=US&hl=en |date=2022-07-22 }} <!--video title: اردوگاه مالومه کومه له--> from Azadi B on YouTube | |||
* {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220722032323/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Sjo-7SFeKo |date=2022-07-22 }} {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220722032323/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Sjo-7SFeKo |date=2022-07-22 }}<!--video title: شينکاوى - قسمت اول--> from Azadi B on YouTube | |||
* {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220722032318/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDArT7QJE9g |date=2022-07-22 }} {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220722032318/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDArT7QJE9g |date=2022-07-22 }}<!--video title: شينکاوى - قسمت دوم--> from Azadi B on YouTube | |||
* {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220722032319/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmZvEs4rIn0 |date=2022-07-22 }} {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220722032319/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmZvEs4rIn0 |date=2022-07-22 }}<!--video title: واحدهاى جنوب کردستان--> from Azadi B on YouTube | |||
* {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220722032322/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJLeH8Yo964 |date=2022-07-22 }} {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220722032322/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJLeH8Yo964 |date=2022-07-22 }}<!--video title: پيشمرگان کومه له .... سال ۱۳٦۱--> from Azadi B on YouTube | |||
* {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220722032326/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ikp5j8A4WM |date=2022-07-22 }} {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220722032326/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ikp5j8A4WM |date=2022-07-22 }}<!--video title: پيشمرگان کومه له--> from Azadi B on YouTube | |||
* {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220722032329/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUKhYNT35KA&gl=US&hl=en |date=2022-07-22 }} {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220722032329/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUKhYNT35KA&gl=US&hl=en |date=2022-07-22 }}<!--video title: مراسم مسلح شدن اولين دسته از زنان پيشمرگ ۳--> from Azadi B on YouTube | |||
* {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220722032320/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gayBvjTzSug |date=2022-07-22 }} {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220722032320/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gayBvjTzSug |date=2022-07-22 }}<!--video title: مراسم مسلح شدن اولين دسته از زنان پيشمرگ ۱--> from Azadi B on YouTube | |||
* {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220722032355/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wy7K8fBBJYU&gl=US&hl=en |date=2022-07-22 }} {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220722032355/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wy7K8fBBJYU&gl=US&hl=en |date=2022-07-22 }}<!--video title: جنگ ٢٤ روزه سنندج--> from Azadi B on YouTube | |||
* {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220722032321/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yU2mR84t5o0 |date=2022-07-22 }} from ] on YouTube | |||
* {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220722032325/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yUgBqe71-Y |date=2022-07-22 }} from Associated Press on YouTube | |||
* {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220722032327/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIwaI9kv_tE |date=2022-07-22 }} from hijazna on YouTube | |||
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Kurdish rebellion in IranThe neutrality of this article is disputed. Relevant discussion may be found on the talk page. Please do not remove this message until conditions to do so are met. (November 2015) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
1979 Kurdish rebellion in Iran | |||||||
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Part of Consolidation of the Iranian Revolution, Iran-Iraq War, and Kurdish separatism in Iran | |||||||
The epicenter of insurrection | |||||||
| |||||||
Belligerents | |||||||
Interim Government and Council of the Islamic Revolution (1979−80) Islamic Republic of Iran (1980−83) |
KDP-I Supported by: Iraq | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Ruhollah Khomeini |
Abdul Rahman Ghassemlou X Muhammad Uthman Siraj al-Din | ||||||
Units involved | |||||||
Revolutionary Guards | Peshmerga | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
5,000 Revolutionary Guards in Kurdistan province (August 23, 1979); 200,000 by 1982 |
100,000 armed Kurdish Peshmerga (August 1979), including 2,000 in Paveh, 2,000 in Saqqiz, 20,000 in Mahabad, 10,000 near Sardasht, and 5,000 Kurds of Turkey. Artillery included a few captured tanks, light artillery pieces, recoilless guns, and machine guns. | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
25,000 Killed | 5,000 killed (Iranian Government claim) | ||||||
45,000 total casualties |
Consolidation of the Iranian Revolution | |
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Kurdish separatism in Iran | |
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1918–1945
1945–1979 1979–present |
The 1979 Kurdish rebellion in Iran was one of the largest nationwide uprisings in the country against the new state following the Iranian Revolution. The Kurdish rebellion began in mid-March, just two months after the Revolution ended, and was one of the most intense Kurdish rebellions in modern Iran.
Kurdish groups initially tried to align with Iran's new government in an attempt to emphasize their own Muslim identity and to seek common ground with other Iranians. The Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (KDPI), who strongly campaigned for political autonomy, briefly identified as a non-separatist organization, even criticizing those calling for independence from the state. However, following a number of attacks on Iranian army barracks in the Kurdistan province by militant groups, relations quickly deteriorated. Though Shīʿa Kurds and some Sunni tribal leaders approved of the Shīʿa Islamic State, most Sunni Kurdish leftists and communists continued to push for the independence of Kurdistan. A portion of the Naqshbandi order also opposed the new state, aligning with the Iraqi army and forming the Sipay Rizgari militant group, under the guidance of Sheikh Muhammad Uthman Siraj al-Din.
Kurdish militants, primarily from the KDPI, initially made territorial gains in Mahabad and temporarily ousted Iranian troops from the region, but a large-scale offensive in spring 1980 by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps reversed the course of the conflict. The start of the Iran–Iraq War in September 1980 saw the Iranian government increasing efforts to snuff the Kurdish rebellion, the only 1979 uprising that remained, in part due to the province's proximity to the Iraqi border. By 1981, the Iranian police and the Revolutionary Guard had ousted the Kurdish militants from their strongholds, but small groups continued to execute sporadic attacks against Iranian militia. Clashes in the area continued until 1983.
About 10,000 people were killed over the course of the rebellion, including 1,200 Kurdish political prisoners executed by the Iranian government. There was a resurgence in conflict in 1989 following the assassination of KDPI leader Abdul Rahman Ghassemlou.
Background
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After failed rebellions in 1946 and 1967, Kurdish political organizations continued to push for revolution against the Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, a move that brought Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini to power in February 1979. Tensions remained between the Kurdish people and the government, even with the new leader installed. Many Iraqi Kurds fled to Kurdistan following Saddam Hussein's crackdown on Kurdish revolts, though they continued their campaign for their right to independence in their new home. In the past, Iran had supported Kurdish fighters in clashes with Iraq. The Kurds were exploited by foreign powers looking to destabilize the young republic.
Unlike others in the country, Iranian Sunni Kurds abstained from voting to endorse the creation of an Islamic Republic in March 1979. That referendum garnered 99.20% approval of the Islamic Republic from Kurdistan, compared to 99.31% nationwide. KDPI leader Abdul Rahman Ghassemlou was barred from joining the Assembly of Experts, the group responsible for writing the new constitution in 1979, despite winning a seat with 34.9% of the vote. The rejection came after Ghassemlou refused the government's request to disarm the KDPI and turn their weapons in to the military.
Rebellion
Beginning
A wave of nationalism engulfed eastern Kurdistan after the fall of the Pahlavi Dynasty. A series of anti-revolutionary revolts were cropping up across the country, including in Khuzestan and Iranian Baluchestan. In March 1979, the KDPI announced an eight-point plan for Kurdish independence, which was met with opposition from other Kurdish leaders such as Ahmad Moftizadeh who disapproved of the militarism and separatism proposed. In mid-March, Kurdish factions took control of police headquarters, army bases, and parts of army barracks in Sanandaj, killing 21 soldiers when they refused to surrender the barracks to the militants.
BBC reported that the revolt began when Kurdish tribesmen overpowered Iranian militiamen in Paveh. Unrest was then alleged to have spread to other Kurdish-dominated regions such as Divan Darreh, Saqqez, and Mahabad as Kurds took over towns and army garrisons to keep the Iranian military at bay. Many Kurdish leaders went into hiding after Khomeini ordered their arrest and execution. At this point, Iranian newspapers were estimating 600 casualties.
Two groups formed in Sanandaj at this time: one was led by Ahmad Moftizadeh and another by the leader of the city's hussainiya, Safdari. The Iranian government sent a delegate to Sanandaj to meet with representatives of the militant groups. Negotiations resulted in an agreement to end conflict. Afterwards, Brayim Younisi was temporarily appointed governor of Kurdistan by the Ministry of Interior. Armed conflict broke out again in April, initially between Kurdish forces such as the KDPI and Komala against the revolutionary government's forces, but later between Kurdish militants and area Azerbaijani factions, including the Qarapapaq tribe, as well. This resulted in the death of hundreds of Azeris and Kurds.
Fighting campaigns and politics
In mid-August, the Revolutionary Guard ambushed Paveh in defiance of the army's advice. Since they were unprepared for battle, they were overpowered and encircled by Kurdish militants. The situation prompted Khomeini to meet with the heads of the government and army. In his statement on August 17, he announced a jihad against Kurdish separatists and declared key Kurdish nationalist figures, including Ghassemlou, enemies of the state. A three-week campaign to clear out rebel strongholds in Saqqez and Mahabad followed. A week after the ill-advised siege on Paveh, the city was captured by the Revolutionary Guard after the Kurdish withdrew. This marked the beginning of the Iranian counteroffensive.
By August 20, the Iranian army had begun attacking Mahabad; they managed to completely surround it by August 30. Three days of negotiations began but ultimately failed, and Iranian forces launched another onslaught of the city on September 3. Using F-4 fighter jets, artillery, and more than 100 tanks, they managed to seize control of Mahabad after just a few hours. Iranian forces continued pushing forward and took the town of Baneh. More than 500 people were killed during the siege. By the end of the campaign, Iranian forces had also recaptured Marivan, Bastam, Sardasht, Bukan, and Saqqez. The Kurdish Peshmerga retreated into the mountains during the attacks and resumed their offensive six weeks later, returning to Mahabad and using Molotov cocktails and rocket-propelled grenades to fight the Iranian troops. At the end of November, while the Iranian government was occupied with other events in the country such as the American Embassy hostage crisis, the Kurds sieged Sanandaj, Saqqez, and other captured cities and towns.
In a Radio Iran speech on December 17, Khomeini said that ethnic minorities were contrary to Islamic doctrines and that those against the union of Muslim countries were at fault for creating the issue of nationalism within these minority groups. In late January, after President Banisadr took office, Revolutionary Guard units and government-aligned Kurds unsuccessfully attacked rebels in the region, resulting in a stalemate that lasted until spring. By May 1980, Kurds still controlled most of Kurdistan's roads and rural areas and held Mahabad as their capital. The KDPI claimed to have more than 7,000 fighters at this time.
Spring 1980 Iranian offensive
In the spring of 1980, government forces under the command of President Banisadr once again captured most of the Kurdish cities through a massive military campaign, sending in mechanized military divisions to Kurdish cities including Sanandaj, Pawe, and Marivan. Neighbourhoods of some villages and towns were destroyed as a result of the fighting between Kurdish rebels and government forces. Ayatollah Khalkhali sentenced thousands of Kurds to execution after summary trials. The Kurds continued to control Mahabad as the summer fighting diminished. Iranian-Iraqi tensions grew amid Iraqi attacks on Qasr-e Shirin and Sarpol-e Zahab, prompting Iran to move its army to the border.
Autumn 1980 Iranian operations
Mahabad remained under Kurdish control for another five months until the Iran-Iraq War bled into the Kurdistan province. Following this invasion, President Banisadr ordered a ceasefire, but the Revolutionary Guard ignored him and continued their campaign. The situation was further complicated by Iranian Kurds receiving Iraqi support for the insurgency. It was initially assumed that Iraqi and Iranian Kurds would cooperate to exploit weaknesses on both sides. Neither Baghdad nor Tehran were willing to accept that outcome and both sides insisted on organizing special loyalist Kurdish military units to participate in the war and to demonstrate allegiance to their respective states.
Prior to June 1980, the KDPI requested an official allegiance with Saddam Hussein's Iraq, resulting in the signing of a seven-point agreement in Kirkuk. According to Ghassemlou, Iraq provided the Kurdish forces with ammunition and anti-aircraft missiles taken from the Iranian army. Despite this alliance, however, Ghassemlou still pursued neutrality against Iraqi Kurdish factions, such as the Kurdistan Democratic Party and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, and served as an intermediary in negotiations between these groups and Baghdad.
The alliance with Iraq created divides within the KDPI. In late May, Ghani Bulurian and six other central committee members renounced their party membership and published Ghassemlou's private correspondence with the Iraqis, including information about a meeting between him and Iraqi vice president Taha Yasin Ramadan.
Final stage
In January 1981, the Iraqi army successfully established a supply line to KDPI strongholds through Nowdesheh and Qasr-e Shirin, and began sending military equipment their way. This allowed the KDPI to cut off the Baghdad-Tehran highway, blocking Iranian forces from using this main thoroughfare. By late 1981, however, a counteroffensive from the Iranian forces pushed Iraqi forces back over the border, debilitating the KDPI and rendering them a marginal military factor for the rest of the war. More than 10,000 Kurdish forces were alleged to have been killed.
Despite the KDPI's military defeat, armed remnants of the group continued to shelter in northern Iraq and engage in low-level campaigns against Iranian forces. This lasted until 1983, when more Iranian forces were diverted to the Iraqi front amid escalation of the Iran-Iraq War. Komala militants also moved their military bases to Iraqi Kurdistan following Iranian operations on the border.
Aftermath
Further information: KDPI insurgency (1989-96)While most of KDPI's military and political activity in Iran was greatly reduced after the 1979-1981 rebellion, they continued their opposition activities throughout the 1980s. Starting in 1985, military conflict broke out between the KDPI and Komala inside northern Iraq, leading to hundreds of deaths among the two rebel groups. In 1989, the KDPI resumed its military activities against the government. Following a political and military crackdown in 1996, the conflict between KDPI and the Iranian government mainly shifted to political opposition abroad rather than violence within the country. Insurgency was renewed in 2004 by the Kurdistan Free Life Party, a militant group affiliated with the Turkish Kurdistan Workers' Party and the Kurdistan Communities Union.
Timeline of events in 1979
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February 1979
- February 25: Iranian Phantom II jets bomb Kurdish villages near the Iraqi border.
March 1979
- March 1: Mahabad remains in control of army barracks. Demonstrations and clashes occur across Kurdistan, including in Saqqiz and Mahabad.
- March 2: Mahabad remains the only Kurdish city not under Khomeini's control. The Kurds maintain political control in Kermanshah and have control over the local brigade-sized army camp.
- March 3: Two hundred thousand Kurds rally in Mahabad, the first public display of the KDPI's revival, to demand autonomy.
- March 4: Mahabad, Saanadaj, and Kermanshah set their official language as the Kurdish language. Armed rebels have control over law and order.
- March 17: The rebellion begins.
- March 19: Protests erupt in Sanandaj and the army barracks are captured. After being denied ammunition from the army, Kurdish forces arm themselves using supplies from the barracks. In the mountainous region along the Iraqi border, Kurds seize army barracks and radio stations. Two helicopters from the government fire at the rebels and 170 are killed.
- March 20: Casualties reach 106 in Sanandaj as helicopters are sent to the city.
- March 23: Fighting in Sanandaj slows and 168 political prisoners are released. A ceasefire is declared.
- March 25: Negotiations between Ayatollah Taleghani and Ahmad Moftizadeh take place in Sanandaj.
- March 26: Ninety-seven more Kurdish political prisoners are released.
April 1979
- April 2: Conflict intensifies near the Iraqi border.
- April 21: Komala blocks the road leading to Naqadeh and 10 people are killed.
- April 22: Fighting between Kurds and Turks intensifies in Naqadeh, with casualties reaching 80. Iranian forces arrive.
- April 26: Fighting between Kurds and Turks largely subsides in West Azerbaijan with casualties at 1,000.
June 1979
- June 4: Iraqi fighter jets attack several villages in Kurdistan and kill seven. Thousands of Kurds resume protesting for autonomy in Mahabad.
July 1979
- July 24: Kurdish rebels seize army barracks in Khoy.
- July 28: Forces fight for control of roads in Kurdistan leading to the Iraqi border, numbering 20 casualties. Residents of Marivan flee as Iranian troops invade and take control of the city. Kurdish troops remain in the surrounding hills and block Marivan-to-Iraq border roads; 20 Iranian soldiers are killed. Rebels also control railroads leading to Turkey. Roads to Marivan from the east are controlled by the government.
August 1979
- August 14: About 2,000 Kurdish KDPI rebels begin clashes in Paveh.
- August 16: After 2 days and 18 casualties, Kurdish rebels gain control of Paveh and its surrounding mountain passes.
- August 18: Mostafa Chamran is trapped in Paveh by Kurdish troops. Later, Iranian troops retake the city and the Kurds return to the surrounding mountains.
- August 19: Iranian troops appear on the outskirts of Sanandaj. Eleven Kurdish rebels from Paveh are executed.
- August 20: Iranian troops and Kurdish rebels fight north of Mahabad County.
- August 21: Twenty-nine more rebels are executed as Iranian troops move towards Kurdistan. Rebels maintain control of all roads leading to Mahabad.
- August 23: Fighting continues. Eighty-nine rebels and 102 Iranian troops are killed. Kurd-controlled Saqqiz avoids capture as 2,000 Kurdish soldiers push Iranian troops 12 miles (19 km) out of town. At this point, around 5,000 Iranian troops have been deployed to Kurdistan. Rebels gain control of an important border route south of Saqqiz and hold both Baneh and Bukan.
- August 24: A stalemate occurs 20 miles (32 km) outside of Mahabad. Iranian army has presence in the outskirts of Saqqez where town is under rebel control. 22 government troops are killed when moving towards Saqqez via Sanandaj.
- August 25: Government officials announce Saqqiz has fallen but the KDPI denies this. Each camp controls half of the city. Twenty-nine Kurds are executed and there are 16 fighting casualties. The highway between Saqqiz and Mahabad and Miandoab to Mahabad remain under rebel control. Iranian troops surround Miandoab and nine Kurds are executed in Marivan. Ghassemlou estimates that there are 100,000 armed rebels around the province.
- August 26: Saqqiz is officially occupied by Iranian troops. Their next planned strike is Solduz.
- August 27: Ceasefires are negotiated while 11 Kurds are executed near Sanandaj and the northern region of Sanandaj County is captured.
- August 28: Ceasefires are declined and 20 Kurds are executed.
- August 29: Jaldian is attacked by rebels. Two more Kurds are executed.
- August 30: Iranian troops continue to close in on Mahabad.
September 1979
- September 1: F-4 fighter jets and artillery push Kurds out of Saqqez, Bastam, and the mountainous region surrounding Baneh. Iranian tanks are within 3 miles (4.8 km) of Mahabad and more than 100 Kurds are executed.
- September 2: Twenty thousand rebels push 400 Iranian troops from the mountains of Mahabad. Iranian troops retreat to Miandoab and manage to capture Bukan and Piranshahr. They also now control all routes leading to Mahabad. Iranian funerals are held in Naqadeh.
- September 3: Rebel forces move south but Iranian troops break their line of defense.
- September 4: Iranian troops capture Mahabad and push into Baneh County. Rebels retreat to Sardasht and manage to kill 16 Iranian troops near Do Ab.
- September 5: Rebels are captured in Sardasht and eight are executed. Fifty thousand armed Kurds flee to the Iraqi border but manage to capture Piranshahr.
- September 6: Sardasht is captured by the Iranians. An ultimatum has been offered to rebels near Saqqiz.
- September 7: Five thousand Turkish Kurds volunteer to fight alongside the rebels.
October 1979
- October 13: Rebels move towards Mahabad.
- October 20: Rebels recapture Mahabad.
- October 31: Rebels claim control of most roads leading to Mahabad.
November 1979
- November 2: The government begins negotiations with the KDPI to give them some level of autonomy.
- November 3: Iranian troops are ordered to stop fighting so peace may be negotiated. Non-Kurdish leftist rebels fighting in Baneh disrupt the peace.
- November 20: Ghassemlou delivers a speech in Mahabad.
- November 26: Kurds declare a truce with Iran and agree to ally with them against the United States. A 20-day ceasefire is agreed upon and troops withdraw from Kurdistan. By the end of November, almost every significant Kurdish city is again under attack from government troops.
December 1979
- December 3: Kurds do not participate in the referendum.
- December 4: Negotiation tensions increase.
- December 6: Iranian troops move into Kurdistan to stop the unrest after the referendum. Helicopters bomb three Kurdish villages near Urmia. The military begins to surround Sanadaj.
- December 30: Revolutionary Guards are kidnapped near the Kermanshah province.
In media
In 2006, Ettela'at photographer Jahangir Razmi released 27 photos he had taken of the 1979 firing squad execution of eleven Kurdish prisoners. At the time of the execution, a state-owned holding company seized Ettela'at after one of these photos ran across six columns of the paper a few weeks later. Razmi won a Pulitzer Prize for these photos in 1980.
The 2014 film Che won a number of awards, including two Crystal Simorghs in the fields of best editing and best visual effects. The film detailed the experiences of Mostafa Chamran during the battle for Paveh.
See also
Notes
- 1. "Free to discuss its political views, the KDPI came out of thirty years of clandestine existence and made public claims for political autonomy"; "Despite its criticisms of the regime, in its early post-revolutionary public discourses the KDPI called itself an authentically national and Iranian party." (Denise, pp. 144-145)
- 2. "Instead of creating a cohesive Kurdish nationalist movement, some Kurdish leaders such as Husayni's brother Shaykh Jalal accepted Iraqi military assistance and formed a Sunni militia opposed to the Iranian government and Kurdish nationalist parties. Qasimlu differentiated his real Kurdish nationalist party from traitors within the KDPI. Others, such as the prominent Ghani Bolourian, tried to negotiate with the central government. After the revolution, some Shi'a Kurds from Ilam, Kermanshah and West Azerbaijan turned away from Kurdish nationalists and towards non-Kurdish Shi'a communities. Sunni Kurdish leftists continued to direct the nationalist project in their enclave in Kurdistan Province, having marginal influence over Shi'a Kurds in other regions." (Denise, pp. 1945)
- 3. "Sending in Pasdaran (Revolutionary Guard) rather than regular army troops, and dispatching the Ayatollah Sadiq Khalkhali—the "Hanging Judge"—resulted in the deaths of nearly 10,000 Kurds in the 1979–82 period alone, many in mass executions ordered by Khalkhali." (Smith, p. 19)
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Further reading
- Alemzadeh, Maryam (2021). "The attraction of direct action: the making of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps in the Iranian Kurdish conflict". British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies. 50 (3): 589–608. doi:10.1080/13530194.2021.1990013. S2CID 239554621.
External links
- Iran Kurds gather to demand self-rule within Iran at British Pathé
- Iran Kurds fight on, though Ayatollah Khomeini threatens to... at British Pathé
- Iran Kurds begin to move freely again through Sanandaj after... at British Pathé
- Iran: Iran's armed forces halt military operations in Kurdistan at British Pathé
- Iran: Government peace mission flies to Kurdistan to discuss... at British Pathé
- Iran: Interview with Chief of Central Committee of the Democractic... at British Pathé
- Iran Kurdish rebels attack Mahabad police station and Iraqi... at British Pathé
- Iran Kurds fight Iranian troops at Saqqez at British Pathé
- The Islamic Republic assassinated Kak Sadiq on the 4th of September 1989. Mamosta Sheik Ezzedin Hosseini speaking at his funeral Archived 2022-12-12 at the Wayback Machine from the Komala Party of Iranian Kurdistan on Twitter
- Razzazi Archived 2022-07-22 at the Wayback Machine Archived 2022-07-22 at the Wayback Machine from Mardin Razzazi on YouTube
- KURDS.DC...Documentary (PDKI) Archived 2022-07-22 at the Wayback Machine from the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan on YouTube
- kakfoad farsi Archived 2022-07-22 at the Wayback Machine on YouTube
- Kamala Peshmerga in South Kurdistan Archived 2022-07-22 at the Wayback Machine on YouTube
- Epic of Democratic Heroes: Battle of the Three Packs, 1988 Archived 2022-07-22 at the Wayback Machine Archived 2022-07-22 at the Wayback Machine on YouTube
- Kurdish Women and Girls Fought Alongside Their Brothers Archived 2022-07-22 at the Wayback Machine on YouTube
- Drs. Qasemloo and Sharafkandi visit Mahabad battlefields Archived 2022-07-22 at the Wayback Machine Archived 2022-07-22 at the Wayback Machine on YouTube
- KDPI Peshemerga Archived 2022-07-22 at the Wayback Machine on YouTube
- Rudaw and History: Assassination of Qasemloo Archived 2022-07-22 at the Wayback Machine from Kotay on YouTube
- Marivan Region Archived 2022-07-22 at the Wayback Machine from Azadi B on YouTube
- Mansour Hekmat in Kurdistan, Pt. 1 Archived 2022-07-22 at the Wayback Machine from Azadi B on YouTube
- Mansour Hekmat in Kurdistan, Pt. 2 Archived 2022-07-22 at the Wayback Machine from Azadi B on YouTube
- Komala Peshmerga Archived 2022-07-22 at the Wayback Machine Archived 2022-07-22 at the Wayback Machine from Azadi B on YouTube
- 22nd Urmia Battalion Archived 2022-07-22 at the Wayback Machine Archived 2022-07-22 at the Wayback Machine from Azadi B on YouTube
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- Komala Peshmerga Archived 2022-07-22 at the Wayback Machine Archived 2022-07-22 at the Wayback Machine from Azadi B on YouTube
- Malome Kumle Camp Archived 2022-07-22 at the Wayback Machine from Azadi B on YouTube
- Shinkawi, Pt. 1 Archived 2022-07-22 at the Wayback Machine Archived 2022-07-22 at the Wayback Machine from Azadi B on YouTube
- Shinkawi, Pt. 2 Archived 2022-07-22 at the Wayback Machine Archived 2022-07-22 at the Wayback Machine from Azadi B on YouTube
- Units from Southern Kurdistan Archived 2022-07-22 at the Wayback Machine Archived 2022-07-22 at the Wayback Machine from Azadi B on YouTube
- Peshmerga Archived 2022-07-22 at the Wayback Machine Archived 2022-07-22 at the Wayback Machine from Azadi B on YouTube
- Komala Peshmerga Archived 2022-07-22 at the Wayback Machine Archived 2022-07-22 at the Wayback Machine from Azadi B on YouTube
- Arming ceremony of the first group of Peshmerga women Archived 2022-07-22 at the Wayback Machine Archived 2022-07-22 at the Wayback Machine from Azadi B on YouTube
- Arming ceremony of the first group of Peshmerga women Archived 2022-07-22 at the Wayback Machine Archived 2022-07-22 at the Wayback Machine from Azadi B on YouTube
- War 24 days Sanandaj Archived 2022-07-22 at the Wayback Machine Archived 2022-07-22 at the Wayback Machine from Azadi B on YouTube
- SYND 12 3 79 IRANIAN KURDS ISSUE UPSURGE AFTER IRAN REVOLUTION Archived 2022-07-22 at the Wayback Machine from Associated Press on YouTube
- UPITN 27 4 80 REBEL KURDS IN SANANDAJ AND SURROUNDING COUNTRYSIDE Archived 2022-07-22 at the Wayback Machine from Associated Press on YouTube
- Kurds Resist Ayatollah Khomeini's Revolution Archived 2022-07-22 at the Wayback Machine from hijazna on YouTube