Today marks the seventh anniversary of the October 16, 2017, event known as the "October 16 Treason," which led to the martyrdom and injury of numerous Peshmerga fighters and civilians in the disputed Kurdish areas, most notably in Kirkuk. Hundreds more were forced to flee, many of whom remain displaced and uncompensated to this day.

The tragic day is remembered for the loss of 51% of Kurdistan’s territory—land that had been liberated from militants through the blood and sacrifice of thousands of Peshmerga fighters. It symbolized a devastating blow to the Kurdish people, marked by betrayal and tears of fighters who had defended their homeland.

On that day, a faction within the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), including its current president Bafel Talabani, was accused of conspiring with Iranian-backed Iraqi militia forces, leading to the seizure of Kurdish areas outside the Kurdistan Region. Talabani later appeared in an interview, presenting a document purportedly signed by “38 officials” of the PUK, allowing Hashd al-Shaabi forces into Kirkuk. However, many of those named on the list denied having signed the agreement.

The consequences were dire: hundreds were killed or wounded, and about 200,000 Kurds were displaced from their homes, with many still unable to return. Following the events, 88 houses were destroyed, more than 300 were burned, and around 2,500 homes were looted. The headquarters of political parties, especially the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), were ransacked and burned in Kirkuk and surrounding areas.

Two days after the incident, Kosrat Rasul Ali, then PUK chairman and first deputy secretary general, blamed "immature individuals" within the party for the disaster in Kirkuk and Khurmatu. On October 20, 2017, the Kurdish Peshmerga forces successfully halted the Hashd al-Shaabi militia's advance at Parde, near Erbil, and Sahela, in Duhok, ending the assault on the Kurdistan Region.

Despite the scale of the devastation, seven years later, there has been no significant action from the United Nations or other fact-finding bodies to address the loss of life and destruction endured by the Kurdish people in these areas.

Masoud Barzani, leader of the KDP, called October 16 "a dark day" in Kurdish history, denouncing the betrayal as an act of treason against the aspirations of the Kurdish people. He also stated that the original plan was to dismantle the Kurdistan Region as a constitutional entity, a scheme ultimately foiled by the courage and sacrifice of the Peshmerga.

On the seventh anniversary of the event, Erbil Governor Omed Khoshnaw reiterated this sentiment, posting on social media that "treason is the highest degree of immorality," and emphasizing that "the treason of October 16 killed the hope of a nation."

The scars of October 16, 2017, remain deep in the Kurdish collective memory, as the region continues to commemorate the sacrifices made and the resilience of its people in the face of betrayal.