As various battles between separatist Kurds and Iraqi government forces continued until the 1991 uprisings in Iraq, the safety of Kurdish refugees led to the adoption of United Nations Security Council Resolution 688 which was used as a justification to implement Operation Provide Comfort, a US-led multinational military operation that ensured the security of the Iraqi Kurdish region through the use of air power while simultaneously providing humanitarian aid to refugees fleeing persecution.

[13] After withdrawing its forces from Kurdistan in October 1991, the Iraqi government imposed an economic blockade over the region, restricting its oil and food supplies.

In March 1994 Turkish Armed Forces began Operation Steel, a cross-border military incursion into northern Iraq against the PKK.

Baer received a message directly from National Security Advisor Tony Lake telling him his operation was compromised.

The Iraqi Army officers planning to kill Saddam with tank fire were compromised, arrested and executed before they could carry out the operation.

The PUK's offensive was still launched as planned, and within days they managed to destroy three Iraqi Army divisions and capture 5,000 prisoners.

During this period, the Iraqi government was permitted by the KDP to establish a smuggling route through the Khabur River basin for the transportation of illegal petroleum exports.

Although the two parties reached an agreement where the Iraqi–Turkish smuggling routes would be divided evenly between them, the KDP continued its attempts to exert greater control over the movement of goods through Iraqi Kurdistan.

[21] After installing the KDP in control of Erbil, Iraqi Army troops withdrew from the Kurdish region back to their initial positions.

[23] Turkey which saw the Kurdish Civil war as an opportunity, allied with KDP and launched Operation Hammer in May, in a violent attempt to force the PKK to leave Iraqi Kurdistan.

The IMK, which had grown in power and influence, sought to impose its vision of Islamic governance, clashing with the PUK's secular agenda.

[26] By the mid-1990s, the IMK was forced to retreat from areas where it had previously held power Mostly Halabja and Sharazur due to the PUK's military strength and strategic advantages.

The PUK's victories effectively weakened the IMK's position in the region, resulting in a reorganization of power dynamics within Iraqi Kurdistan.

Ali Bapir went on to found the Kurdistan Islamic Group (Komal), which advocated for political participation but remained deeply Islamist in its ideology.

Mullah Krekar, meanwhile, became the leader of the more radical Ansar al-Islam, which rejected any form of collaboration with secular authorities and took control of regions around Halabja and Hawraman.

[28] In 2003, the conflict escalated further when the United States launched airstrikes against Ansar al-Islam in northern Iraq, targeting its strongholds in Halabja and surrounding areas.

Komal was also targeted due to Ali Bapir's previous involvement in the Islamic Emirate of Byara which drew scrutiny from U.S. forces.

The attacks significantly weakened Ansar al-Islam and altered the landscape of Kurdish politics, leading to an ongoing struggle for influence among various factions, including Komal.

Around a month later, U.S. President Bill Clinton signed the Iraq Liberation Act into law, providing for military assistance to Iraqi opposition groups, including the PUK and KDP.