Twenty-Two Years On, In Memory of the Martyrs of February 1: Kurdistan Stood, Endured, and Prevailed

Twenty-two years ago, on February 1, 2004, terrorists carried out suicide bombings targeting the offices of the Kurdistan Democratic Party and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan in Erbil. The attacks claimed the lives of 103 people, including government officials, leaders, party cadres, Peshmerga fighters, members of both parties, and civilians, and left many others wounded.

As we mark this painful anniversary, we reaffirm that these terrorists failed to break the will of our people to resist, endure, and move forward. The Peshmerga forces of Kurdistan went on to defeat them—and later their ISIS successors—on the battlefields.

The greatest tribute to those martyrs is to continue their path by uniting our strengths and capabilities to achieve the goals for which they gave their lives.

We honor the pure souls of those heroic martyrs and all the martyrs of Kurdistan.