Kurdish authorities, especially the Kurdistan Democratic Party, which controlled Erbil, had given asylum to the Iraqi Turkmen Front, and permitted them to operate within the region and open Turkmen schools, causing the ITF to have a significant presence in the city.

[1] The massacre occurred during the heat of the Iraqi Kurdish Civil War, in which Iraqi Armed Forces entered Erbil after KDP leader Masoud Barzani sent a letter to Saddam Hussein asking him for assistance in fighting Jalal Talabani and pushing the PUK out of Erbil.

[8] In 2022, the Iraqi Turks Association stated "on the 26th anniversary of the Erbil Massacre, we commemorate our martyrs, who marched to martyrdom for the sake of the homeland, nation, flag, and freedom, with respect, love and longing.

"[9] In 2022, Arshad al-Salihi stated "more than a quarter of a century, exactly 26 years ago, the Turkmen genocide took place in Erbil, the city of Gökböri.

We commemorate our heroes who were martyred in the 31 August 1996 Erbil Turkmen Genocide, one of the most painful events in our recent history, with respect and mercy.