Kurdish Union Founded: Struggle for Autonomy Begins

Jalal Talabani and fellow Kurdish leaders founded the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan to challenge both Iraqi state repression and rival Kurdish factions. The PUK organized armed resistance in the mountains while building political infrastructure that would eventually help Talabani become Iraq's first Kurdish president after the 2003 invasion. The PUK was founded on June 1, 1975, in the aftermath of the collapse of the Kurdish revolt against Baghdad, which had been supported by Iran until the Algiers Agreement between Iran and Iraq cut off the Kurds' lifeline. Talabani, a veteran peshmerga fighter and political organizer, established the PUK as an alternative to Mustafa Barzani's Kurdistan Democratic Party, which he viewed as too tribal and feudal in its leadership structure. The PUK drew support primarily from the Sorani-speaking Kurdish population of southeastern Kurdistan, including the cities of Sulaymaniyah and Kirkuk, while the KDP's base was among the Kurmanji-speaking Kurds of the northwest. The two parties fought each other as often as they fought Baghdad, engaging in a bloody intra-Kurdish civil war from 1994 to 1998 that killed thousands. After the 2003 American invasion toppled Saddam Hussein's regime, the PUK and KDP set aside their rivalry to participate in the new Iraqi government. Talabani was elected president of Iraq by the National Assembly in April 2005, becoming the first non-Arab head of state in the country's history. He served until 2014, navigating the sectarian violence and political chaos that defined post-invasion Iraq. Talabani died in 2017, and the PUK continues to operate as one of the two dominant parties in the Kurdistan Regional Government.