Second Iraqi–Kurdish War
| Second Iraqi–Kurdish War | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Iraqi–Kurdish conflict and the Cold War | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
|
Iraq Supported by: Soviet Union |
KDP Iran Supported by: Israel United States | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
|
Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr Saddam Hussein |
Mustafa Barzani Mohammad Reza Pahlavi | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
|
90,000 troops 1,200 tanks and AFVs 200 aircraft (not all engaged) |
100,000–110,000 fighters 350,000 troops | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| 2,500 killed | 15,000–20,000 killed | ||||||||
|
Total: 7,000+ to 20,000 killed 600,000 displaced 280,000 Kurds fled to Iran | |||||||||
The Second Iraqi–Kurdish War was the second chapter of the Barzani rebellion, initiated by the collapse of the Kurdish autonomy talks and the consequent Iraqi offensive against rebel KDP troops of Mustafa Barzani during 1974–1975. The war came in the aftermath of the First Iraqi–Kurdish War (1961–1970), as the 1970 peace plan for Kurdish autonomy had failed to be implemented by 1974. Unlike the previous guerrilla campaign in 1961–1970, waged by Barzani, the 1974 war was a Kurdish attempt at symmetric warfare against the Iraqi Army, which eventually led to the quick collapse of the Kurds, who were lacking advanced and heavy weaponry. The war ended with the exile of the Iraqi KDP party and between 7,000–20,000 deaths from both sides combined.