Widow, son of Ali Nabi remember first shots in Raniya uprising

The widow of Ali Nabi has recounted a story of the outbreak of the 1991 uprising from Raniya.

Aiysha Khidir tells of Kurdish Peshmerga forces coming to confront the Baathist forces

"His voice had gone hoarse crying out, informing defectors, [those working with Baghdad], and youth that the Peshmerga were on their way and closing in on the city," she said. "They later took over all the institutions. 

Ali Nabi has become a symbol of the uprising.

His son, Shorish Nabi, took Rudaw to the spot where his father fired at the Baathists, pointing to a pole that still bares the scars of the conflict.

"The first shots of the uprising started from right here," said Shorish Nabi from Rania’s Sara neighborhood.

"Right here, they fell into an ambush of Martyr Ali Nabi, and then clashes erupted. Martyr Ali Nabi told his friends to open fire on [the Baathists], killing two. A third escaped but was wounded," added the son.

Regime force had held Kurdish dissenters in prisons. With the Baathists killed and fleeing Kurds remained locked in cells.

Ali Nabi led a group to free some of the jailed Kurds.

"They eventually came to the police station by breaking down the door. They broke the lock. Joyfully, everyone was hugging and kissing each other. I felt as if I was reborn. It was a thrilling day. I was born that day," Shorish Ali said.

In a matter of 10 hours, the Baathist regime’s rule over the city was finished through the 'Raparin' (Uprising).

The uprising spread across Kurdish areas of northern Iraq in just two weeks, creating the conditions for the establishment of the Kurdistan Regional Government and the Kurdistan Region.