According to a report by Kurdpress, a documentary by Britain’s Channel 4 sheds light on one of the least-told chapters in the history of British colonialism: a period in the 1920s when the Royal Air Force (RAF) bombed Kurdish villages and towns—and targeted their inhabitants with air strikes—to suppress a Kurdish uprising in Iraq. Produced using classified documents, archival footage, and interviews with former pilots and eyewitnesses, the documentary reveals how "air power" became a tool for maintaining British colonial rule in the Middle East.

Bombing to Preserve the Empire

Following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire at the end of World War I, Iraq came under British mandate. During this period, the Kurds, led by Sheikh Mahmud Barzanji, rose up against British rule. Due to the difficulties of conducting ground operations in the mountainous terrain of Kurdistan, the British government decided to use air power to suppress the rebellion.

The documentary notes that the RAF carried out its initial air strikes against the town of Rawanduz, followed by attacks on various parts of Iraqi Kurdistan. British aircraft were tasked with bombing villages and even strafing—using machine guns to target—armed individuals whom the pilots deemed to be displaying "hostile behavior."

Accounts from Kurdish witnesses

The documentary filmmakers crossed the border covertly into Kurdish-inhabited areas of Iraq and interviewed elderly residents who still remembered the bombings of the 1920s. Witnesses recount sudden aerial attacks, the destruction of homes, and the killing of civilians—memories that have persisted in the region's collective consciousness for decades.

Admissions by British Pilots

The documentary also features interviews with former Royal Air Force pilots. One describes how their mission involved flying over a village, dropping bombs, and then descending to verify that the targets had been hit. Another pilot confirms they were ordered to fire upon any armed Kurd who appeared "hostile."

However, years later, some of these military personnel expressed regret over their actions. One of them stated that he never felt good about killing Kurds and believed that politicians bore the primary responsibility for these decisions.

The Role of Arthur Harris

The documentary notes that one of the young officers who took part in this operation was Arthur Harris—a man who would later become the commander of Britain's Bomber Command during World War II. In 1924, Harris wrote: "The Arabs and Kurds now know what real bombing means; in just 45 minutes, four or five aircraft can virtually destroy an entire village and kill or wound a third of its inhabitants."

Churchill and the Strategy of "Control from the Air"

According to the documentary, the crisis in Kurdistan had saddled the British government with heavy military costs. Winston Churchill, who was responsible for the Iraq portfolio at the time, approved a plan to replace ground troops with aerial bombardment following a proposal by Air Marshal Hugh Trenchard. The aim of this policy was to reduce both costs and British troop casualties.

Testing New Weapons

The documentary reveals that the British Air Ministry had turned Kurdistan into a testing ground for new tactics and weaponry. Documents from that period mention phosphorus bombs, air-to-ground rockets, delayed-action bombs, and even plans to use incendiary devices. Pilots explain that delayed-action bombs were used to target villagers who returned to their homes after the initial attack had ended.

The Attack on Sulaymaniyah

A significant portion of the documentary focuses on the bombing of the city of Sulaymaniyah. After Sheikh Mahmud refused to comply with British government orders, the city's residents were warned that Sulaymaniyah would be bombed. Although leaflets were dropped over the city prior to the attack, many residents—unfamiliar with aerial warfare—did not take the warnings seriously. The air raids ultimately inflicted heavy damage on the city and forced Sheikh Mahmud to retreat into the mountains.

Censorship of Documents

The documentary also reveals documents showing that RAF commanders censored reports regarding the scale of bombing and civilian casualties. In one instance, Trenchard ordered that the tonnage of bombs dropped and the number of casualties be omitted from reports to prevent the British public from learning the true extent of the operations.

The Legacy of a Colonial Policy

The documentary concludes that the air operations in Iraqi Kurdistan established a model for the policy of "control through air power" in other British colonies—a strategy later employed in regions such as Waziristan, Sudan, and Yemen. This experience also helped train the generation of pilots who would go on to form the backbone of Britain's Bomber Command during World War II. For the people of Kurdistan, however, this period evokes one of the bitterest chapters in the history of colonialism and the bombing of civilians.

The material presented here is but a portion of a 48-minute documentary aired by Britain’s Channel 4 in 1992. Beyond the bombing of Kurdish-inhabited areas in Iraq, the documentary examines the expansion of the "control through air power" doctrine to other British colonies—including Waziristan—and illustrates how the experience of operations in Kurdistan subsequently became a model for the use of air power in London’s colonial policies.