Draft:Kureme Massacre
| Submission declined on 2 January 2025 by AlphaBetaGamma (talk). This submission does not appear to be written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article. Entries should be written from a neutral point of view, and should refer to a range of independent, reliable, published sources. Please rewrite your submission in a more encyclopedic format. Please make sure to avoid peacock terms that promote the subject.
Where to get help
How to improve a draft
You can also browse Wikipedia:Featured articles and Wikipedia:Good articles to find examples of Wikipedia's best writing on topics similar to your proposed article. Improving your odds of a speedy review To improve your odds of a faster review, tag your draft with relevant WikiProject tags using the button below. This will let reviewers know a new draft has been submitted in their area of interest. For instance, if you wrote about a female astronomer, you would want to add the Biography, Astronomy, and Women scientists tags. Editor resources
|  |
Comment: MOS:BOLD violation. ABG (Talk/Report any mistakes here) 16:00, 2 January 2025 (UTC)
| Kureme Massacre | |
|---|---|
| Part of Anfal Campaign | |
| Location | Kureme, Dohuk Governorate, Kurdistan Region of Iraq |
| Coordinates | 37°04′N 43°05′E |
| Date | August 27, 1988- August 27, 1988 Afternoon (UTC+3) |
| Target | Kurdish civilians, primarily men of military age |
Attack type | Mass execution, civilian massacre |
| Weapons | Firearms, possible other means of execution |
| Deaths | 33 |
| Injured | Unknown, many survivors were severely wounded |
| Victims | Kurdish civilians, mostly men |
| Perpetrators | Iraqi Armed Forces, Iraqi military under Saddam Hussein |
| Assailants | Iraqi military |
| Defenders | None |
| Motive | Suppression of Kurdish resistance and ethnic cleansing |
| Inquiry | Yes, posthumous investigations into mass graves and the event |
| Accused | Saddam Hussein's regime |
| Convicted | No |
| Verdict | N/A |
| Convictions | None |
| Charges | Genocide, war crimes |
| Litigation | In progress (investigations into the massacre) |
| Judge | N/A |
| Website | Kurdistan Memory Programme |
The massacre was part of the broader Anfal Campaign, targeting Kurdish civilians, especially men of fighting age. | |
The Kureme Massacre refers to the brutal killing of Kurdish civilians in the village of Kureme, located in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, during the Anfal Campaign in 1988. The massacre, carried out by the Iraqi government under the leadership of Saddam Hussein, was part of a broader strategy aimed at suppressing Kurdish identity, culture, and resistance to the Iraqi state.
Background
[edit]The Anfal Campaign, launched between 1986 and 1989, was a series of military operations led by the Iraqi regime against the Kurdish population in northern Iraq. The operation resulted in the deaths of up to 182,000 Kurds and involved widespread use of chemical weapons, mass executions, forced displacements, and the destruction of villages. The campaign was part of Iraq’s efforts to eliminate Kurdish separatism and the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), which was engaged in armed resistance. The government’s aim was to erase Kurdish identity and eradicate any potential for Kurdish autonomy.[1]
Attack on Kureme
[edit]The Kureme Massacre took place on August 27, 1988, when Iraqi forces attacked the village of Kureme in the Kurdish-majority Dohuk Governorate. The village was home to approximately 150 Kurdish families who had been living peacefully in the region, and they were largely unprepared for the violence that would soon devastate their community.
As the Iraqi military surrounded the village, many of the villagers attempted to flee to Turkey seeking safety, but they were met with border closures by Turkish forces. This left them trapped, with little hope of escaping the advancing Iraqi forces. The military detained approximately 300 individuals, including men, women, and children, before separating them. Women and children were sent to the neighboring village of Mangesh, while 33 men were executed in a remote area.[2]
Execution of the Men
[edit]The 33 men, separated from the rest of the villagers, were taken to a field where they were executed by firing squad. The men were shot in cold blood, with most of them dying immediately, while others were gravely wounded. Among the survivors, only six men lived to tell the tale, though they were severely injured and scarred.[3]
Aftermath
[edit]After the massacre, the survivors of Kureme faced unimaginable hardships. Many fled to nearby mountains, where they survived for several days with little food or water, relying on wild berries and rainwater to sustain them. Eventually, they were captured and sent to refugee camps, including Bahirka and Nazaraka Camp, where they were subjected to severe conditions, including torture, hunger, and disease. Women and children were separated from the men, with many of the men believed to have been executed in subsequent operations.[4]
Legacy
[edit]The Kureme Massacre remains one of the most harrowing events in the Anfal Campaign. Despite the passage of years, the trauma endured by survivors persists. The massacre not only left a lasting impact on the victims’ families but also symbolized the extent of the Iraqi regime’s brutality against the Kurdish people. The discovery of mass graves in the years following the attack has allowed for the identification of some of the victims, though many remain unaccounted for.[5]