Al-Anfal Campaign
Following the outbreak of unrest in Basra on 1 March and the spreading of conflict to other cities, Iraqi forces stationed in Kirkuk were put on alert. Kurdish neighborhoods of Kirkuk were put under a curfew and 10 March and patrols were increased throughout the city. Reinforcements were also brought in from other parts of Iraq, where the uprising had already largely been defeated, and Ali Hassan al-Majid, the leader of the Al-Anfal Campaign, was put in control of the city's security.