ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — Iraqi Kurds have always been a symbol of hope, Brett McGurk, the United States Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa, told a virtual conference on Wednesday, recounting the resilience of Kurds in the face of persecution by the Iraqi regime in the early nineties.
“On behalf of President [Joe] Biden – who had such a long and personal history with Iraq and Kurdish people – I want to express my strong support for the enduring relationship with the Kurdistan Regional Government, and my gratitude for the Kurdish and American heroes who made Operation Provide Comfort possible,” McGurk said at the virtual conference hosted by the KRG’s representation in the US.
This month marks the 30th anniversary of a remarkable humanitarian action, known as Operation Provide Comfort, led by the United States, the UK and France, which saved hundreds of thousands of Kurds who had fled the genocidal actions of Saddam Hussein in 1991.
Following the Kurdish uprising against the dictator in March 1991, Hussein used his helicopter gunships and tanks to attack the people who had risen up against his regime. Fearing that Hussein would use chemical weapons again, up to 2 million Kurds fled to the border mountains of Turkey and Iran, where they were stranded, facing death from exposure to the elements, malnutrition, and disease.