The 1961 September Revolution: A Decade of Conflict for Kurdish Autonomy in Iraq
Led by Mustafa Barzani, the First Iraqi–Kurdish War began in 1961 as a fight for independence. It drew in international powers, saw the use of napalm against civilians, and forced 80% of the Iraqi army into combat, ultimately ending in a fragile 1970 autonomy agreement that failed to hold.
The conflict, known as the September Revolution, emerged after Abdul Karim Qasim failed to honor promises of regional autonomy made to Mustafa Barzani following a 1958 coup. By 1960, tensions escalated as Qasim incited rival tribes against the Kurdistan Democratic Party. The war officially ignited on September 10, 1961, when Kurdish forces ambushed an Iraqi army column. The subsequent government response, which included indiscriminate aerial bombardment of villages, galvanized Kurdish support for Barzani’s movement.
The war became a theater for international maneuvering. The United States, under President Kennedy, supplied the Iraqi government with thousands of bombs, including napalm, which were used to incinerate villages and livestock. The United Kingdom also sold napalm to Iraq. Conversely, Iran and Israel provided material support to the Kurds. Israel sought to distract the Iraqi military from regional conflicts, while Iran aimed to weaken its Persian Gulf rival. Syria also intervened in 1963, deploying 6,000 soldiers and aircraft to assist the Iraqi campaign against Kurdish fighters.
Internal Iraqi instability, including multiple coups and power struggles between Ba'athist factions, frequently stalled military progress. By 1969, Iranian military aid helped the Kurds decisively repel Iraqi advances. Following pressure from the Soviet Union, a peace plan was announced in March 1970, promising Kurdish representation and autonomy. However, the Iraqi government simultaneously pursued an Arabization program in oil-rich regions like Kirkuk. This uneasy peace collapsed by 1974, leading to the Second Iraqi–Kurdish War, which concluded in 1975 with an Iraqi victory after the Kurds lost their critical Iranian support.
Source: First Iraqi–Kurdish War
