31 August Betrayal: Over 230 PUK Peshmergas Martyred on the Day

Kurdistan 12:18 PM - 2025-08-30

Erbil in 1996.

Twenty-nine years have passed since the 31 August betrayal against the people of the Kurdistan Region in general, and the residents of Erbil in particular, when the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) brought the tanks of the Ba’ath regime into the Kurdistan Parliament and the Kurdistan Region capital Erbil. In this betrayal, more than 230 Peshmergas of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) were martyred in Erbil alone, with over 700 Peshmergas wounded.

This Shame is Called an Achievement

Hardi Salah, PUK lawmaker in the Kurdistan Parliament, told PUKMEDIA: “The KDP occupied Erbil 29 years ago with Ba’athist tanks. All the people of Kurdistan know what their so-called achievements have meant for our nation. They have prioritised their own survival over anything else, as they did in the betrayal of 31 August, the capture of Shingal (Sinjar) -occupation of Shingal by the Islamic State (ISIS)-, and other catastrophes, and they continue to do so today.”

The KDP Handed Over Erbil to the Ba’athists

By bringing the Ba’ath Party back to the Kurdistan Region’s capital, the KDP demonstrated that it had no loyalty to the Kurdish victims of Anfal, chemical attacks, and genocide.

Fahima Sabir, former member of the PUK Leadership Council, told PUKMEDIA on the anniversary of the 31 August betrayal: “The KDP, which acted as the guide of the Ba’ath Party in occupying Erbil, showed no loyalty to the victims of Anfal, chemical attacks, genocide, and the exile of the Kurdish nation. The KDP has never ceased its betrayals, consistently taking the hand of foreign forces and Kurdish enemies to survive, and continues this behaviour today.”

In Erbil Alone, 236 PUK Peshmergas Were Martyred

The PUK gave more than 230 martyrs in Erbil on the day of the betrayal of the Kurdistan Region on 31 August 1996, defending the democratic experience of the Kurdistan Region, protecting the sacred land of Kurdistan, and resisting PKK traitors.

According to the PUK Martyrs Bureau, 236 PUK Peshmergas were martyred in Erbil and surrounding areas during the 31 August betrayal by the KDP. In addition, over 700 Peshmergas were wounded, and a large number of PUK families had their homes looted and children expelled.



PUKMEDIA