On Friday, top Kurdish Leaders marked the 52nd anniversary of the bombing of Qaladiza, a small Kurdish city in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.

On that day in 1974, 163 civilians were killed, including nine students from the University of Sulaymaniyah, which had been temporarily relocated to the town. Around 300 others were injured in the devastating airstrike ordered by Saddam Hussein’s regime.

In a post on X, President Masoud Barzani called the bombing “a clear indication of the chauvinistic and brutal policies of the former Iraqi regime against the civilian population of Kurdistan. That tragic catastrophe was another crime in the series of crimes committed by that regime against our people.”

“On the 52nd anniversary of the bombardment of Qaladze by the former Iraqi regime, we honor the memory of the martyrs of Qaladze and all of Kurdistan. We will never forget their sacrifice,” Kurdistan Regional Government Prime Minister Masrour Barzani posted on X.

Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani underlined that the “ regime’s attack on the university, a hub of knowledge, and on Qaladiza, a symbol of patriotism, was a misguided attempt to undermine the determination of the people of Kurdistan.

“We emphasize that Qaladiza and Pishder region, which have consistently stood as bastions of revolution and sacrifice, deserve our utmost care and serious consideration in all aspects.”