Message from the President Jalal Talabani Foundation on the 51st Anniversary of the Bombing of Qaladze

More than five decades have passed since the bombing of the resilient city of Qaladze and its University of Sulaimani. On April 24, 1974, the defunct Ba’ath regime committed a horrific crime by mercilessly attacking the city with napalm bombs, showing no regard for civilians. This brutal assault marked yet another bloody chapter in the regime’s history, resulting in the martyrdom of 134 of the city’s residents and injuring over 200 others.

At that time, the fascist Ba’ath regime carried out an inhumane massacre against the people of Qaladze, killing hundreds—including students of the University of Sulaimani—destroying large parts of the city’s neighborhoods, and suspending essential services.

Despite these immense losses, Qaladze remained steadfast, preserving its courageous voice in the face of the fascist Ba’ath regime’s tyranny and oppression. The city never wavered from the path of the Kurdish national struggle and its new approach. Following the city’s uprising, the Kurdistan Regional Government gradually began its reconstruction. However, to this day, neither the city nor its loyal citizens have received any official recognition or compensation from the Iraqi government for this crime.

We, at the President Jalal Talabani Foundation, with deep loyalty and reverence, pay tribute to the heroic souls of the martyrs of the Qaladze bombing disaster and all the martyrs of the Kurdish cause.

Ambassador Dr. Muhammad Sabir
President of the President Jalal Talabani Foundation
April 24, 2025