#east70s

women preparing bread, kurdistan, 1979 by francois lochon

peshmerga fighter, eastern kurdistan, 1974 by michel artault

young peshmerga fighter, eastern kurdistan, 1974 by michel artault

eastern kurdistan, 1974 by michel artault

peshmergas, eastern kurdistan, 1974 by michel artault

kurdistan, 1979 by francois lochon

after failing to establish an independent kurdish state following the first iraqi-kurdish war (1961-1970), tensions between the kurds and iraqis continued to rise. in 1974, mullah mustafa barzani - a prominent figure and leader of the kurdistan democratic party (KDP) - and his peshmerga troops, backed by iranians, attempted to gain control over kurdish-majority towns and cities in northern iraq. their attempts, however, were met by counterattacks from the iraqi army. in 1975, the algiers accord was signed by both iraq and iran. the iraqi government agreed to return land to iran on the condition that iranian support of the kurds ceased. saddam hussein, then president of iraq, launched several attacks on the kurdish region after the iranians withdrew support for the kurds. additionally, saddam launched the arabization campaign - a campaign that aimed to change the demographics of kurdish-majority oil-rich towns and cities by displacing kurds and moving arabs into the area. as a result of the attacks and displacement, upwards of 200,000 kurds fled to nearby iran seeking refuge. x, x