The First Iraqi-Kurdish War, a significant conflict in Iraqi history, occurred between 1961 and 1970. It began when the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), led by Mustafa Barzani, initiated an insurrection in northern Iraq in September 1961. The war was primarily a struggle by the Kurdish population for autonomy against the Iraqi government.

During the early stages of the conflict, the Iraqi government, led by Abdul Karim Qasim and later by the Ba'ath Party, faced challenges in suppressing Kurdish resistance. The Kurdish fighters, known as Peshmerga, employed guerrilla tactics, capitalizing on their familiarity with the mountainous terrain of northern Iraq.

One of the pivotal moments in the war was the 1963 change in Iraqi leadership, when the Ba'ath Party overthrew Qasim. The Ba'ath regime, initially more aggressive towards the Kurds, eventually sought a diplomatic solution. The conflict saw foreign interventions, with countries like Iran and the United States providing support to the Kurds to weaken the Iraqi government, which had close ties with the Soviet Union.

The war was marked by intermittent ceasefires and negotiations. The Algiers Agreement in 1970, brokered by Algeria's President Houari Boumediene, was a key event that temporarily ended hostilities. This agreement granted the Kurds autonomy in the region, official recognition of the Kurdish language, and representation in the government.

However, the agreement was not fully implemented, leading to future conflicts. The First Iraqi-Kurdish War set the stage for the complex relationship between the Iraqi government and the Kurdish population, with issues of autonomy and representation remaining central to subsequent Kurdish struggles in Iraq.