October 16th, 2017, is one of the eminent days in the history of Kurdistan that will never be forgotten. There are some historical turning points in every nation's history that can impact their fate completely. That is, these points could have changed the fate of a nation towards a much better condition or they might have forced them to face destruction. There are many such points in the Kurdish history that have affected them positively or negatively and they must be regarded seriously for their impact on the Kurds' fate. For instance, we can consider 1945 as one of the shining phases of Kurdish history. because this year the Kurds who had been attempting to achieve their political, social, and economic rights for decades were successful for the first time in establishing their political structure possessing identity and value. This political superiority was the Republic of Kurdistan that was pioneered by "Peshawa Qazi Mohammad" leadership and cooperation of the Kurdish forces from the southern part of Kurdistan under the leadership of "Mullah Mustafa Barzani".
However, this eminent history was not the last historical and influential event on the fate of the Kurds but by contrast, it became one of the eminent days after which tens of other such influential events happened in the history of Kurdistan. October 16th, 2017 is one of the last examples of such days that impacted all the achievements of the Kurds in the last century. Clearly, the dream of Kurds in 1945 which was formed in the Kurdistan Republic for the Kurdish society, was to create an independent country under the name of "the Republic of Kurdistan" and the authority of Kurds to achieve national goals that would serve the Kurds. However, after the Republic of Kurdistan was destructed, seven decades later, the political leaders in the Southern part of Kurdistan decided to make the dream that the political leaders had imagined for Kurdistan in the East part of Kurdistan come true after seventy years through a legal and practical method.
In order to make this dream come true, the Kurdish people needed to prove their national will to all the other nations of the region that they wished to clarify their cultural, linguistic, economic, and political borders with all the other nations and establish an autonomic authority. To gain the public and international attention and make them agree with the Kurdish will, they applied one of the mechanisms that is very important, legal, and most trusted international methods, which is the Referendum. In the referendum that happened in the Southern part of Kurdistan for the independence of Kurdish people most of the social classes of the Kurdish society in the Southern part of Kurdistan took part in it and they voted for the autonomy of their region thus, recording another bright day for the future of Kurdistan.
However, after recording this national decision, all the oppressive forces of Kurdistan and all the oppressive political structures in the Southern part of Kurdistan opposed it. On the other hand, the superpower countries of this region that have dominated a part of Kurdistan as a large part of their own countries opposed this important and vital decision of the Kurds. Here, we can mention all the activities and reactions of Turkey as one of the superpowers of the region and a member of NATO. Turkey used up all their power and armed forces to stop this national will by threatening to close down the borders with the Southern part of Kurdistan, closing the air borders to Kurdistan airlines, threatening to cut the oil pipes transferring Kurdistan oil and … But Turkey's threats remained a threat only and they never practiced them.
On the other hand, however, "The Islamic Republic of Iran" also did all they could do to oppose this decision and they decided to directly interfere in stopping this dream. They encouraged their proxy militia in Iraq and their trusted Iraqi government against the Kurds to send their Shia militia and Iraqi army to the borders of Kurdistan so that they would oppress this national will of the Kurds on the one hand and plan to dominate parts of Kurdistan land on the other hand. What is very strange for people of the Southern part of Kurdistan and the rest of the world is that from the very beginning of this referendum, a part of the political parties in the Southern part of Kurdistan benefited from Iran's plans and Jalal Talabani's absence in the political stage betrayed the process of referendum and autonomy of Kurds and they preferred their personal benefits over the independence of Kurdistan via cooperating with the dominant states and superpowers of the region and Iran's militia proxy forces.
On October 16th, 2017 morning the Iraqi army in cooperation with Iran's proxy militia led by the "Qods Army of Iran", they were able to enter Kurdistan borders into Kirkuk city and the debatable regions and all those areas that Peshmerga forces had freed from ISIS forces before. But a part of the Peshmerga forces of Kurdistan retreated due to their commanders and political leaders' agreement with the dominant forces and thus they made October 16th, or the "day of betrayal to the motherland" a dark spot in the history of Kurdistan.
October 16th was the result of the superpowers' siege and the betrayal of a Kurdish political party. A part of the Kurdish people thought that since they helped the world to gain peace after ISIS attacks and their terrorist actions, the West particularly the U.S., Britain, and France would protect them. But from that day on the sun of western promises to set forever.
