No-Fly Zones
Following the Gulf War of 1991, the victorious coalition established two "no-fly" zones in northern and southern Iraq that were declared off-limits to Iraqi military aircraft. The purpose of the zones is to prevent Iraq's from threatening its neighbors or attacking rival factions within Iraq.

The area covered by the northern no-fly zone is known as Iraqi Kurdistan. It is autonomous administered by two Kurdish political parties, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK).

People | Human Rights | Armed Forces