Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Saturday thanked the international community again for the establishment of a no-fly zone in 1991.
“The international community rallied to safeguard our people from genocide following UNSC Resolution 688 in 1991,” Prime Minister Barzani posted on X.
The international community rallied to safeguard our people from genocide following UNSC Resolution 688 in 1991.
— Masrour Barzani (@masrourbarzani) April 5, 2025
Thirty-four years on, the Kurdistan Region stands as a sanctuary of coexistence. We thank the friends who helped us and continue to support our national prosperity. pic.twitter.com/6JR7SwvN9R
“Thirty-four years on, the Kurdistan Region stands as a sanctuary of coexistence. We thank the friends who helped us and continue to support our national prosperity.”
Read More: Kurdish Leaders Commerrate 34th Anniversary of 1991 Kurdish Uprising
After the Kurdish uprising of March 1991 and the liberation of the Kurdish cities, including Kirkuk, one million Kurds fled to Turkiye and Iran after the Iraqi Ba’ath regime retaliated.
The United States, UK, and France launched Operation Provide Comfort in April 1991 to establish and enforce a no-fly zone over northern Iraq, following UN Security Council Resolution 688 – adopted on April 5, 1991 after lobbying by the three countries – which ultimately led to the establishment of the Kurdistan Region and its first elections in 1992.
On this day in 1991, the UN Security Council adopted resolution 688, paving the way for the creation of a safe haven in northern Iraq, protected by a multinational military force of 25.000 military personnel:
— Adriaan IJsselstein ?? (@ajijsselstein) April 5, 2025
Operation Provide Comfort.
Photo credit: @Defensie https://t.co/98LBYYmfTN pic.twitter.com/SakOGTGfBr
On April 5, 2021, a street in Erbil was named after the UK’s former Prime Minister Sir John Major to honor his role in setting up the no-fly zone.
Read More: Rebuilding from the Ashes: The Story of KRI's Emergence
“The Safe Haven was born from the courageous stand of the Kurdish people during the 1991 uprising, supported by the intervention of UNSCR 688 and solidarity of the international community,” Safeen Dizayee, head of the KRG Department of Foreign Relations, posted on X.
Dutch Consul General Adriaan IJsselstein also posted on X that Resolution 688 paved “the way for the creation of a safe haven in northern Iraq, protected by a multinational military force of 25,000 military personnel.”
At the time, the government of the Netherlands sent units from various armed forces services to the Kurdistan Region as part of an international task force with its headquarters in the town of Zakho.
