In the presence of Assist. Prof. Dr. Lazgin Abdi Jamil, President of the University of Zakho, alongside a number of regional governmental authorities, party authorities, and parliamentarians; the Kurdistan Flag Day on December 17th was honored by staff members and students of the University of Zakho. Expressing a total support for the Kurdish Peshmerga Forces in their fight against the terrorist organization ISIL, a minute's silence in memory of the fallen martyrs was held and afterwards the Kurdistan flag was hoisted and the Kurdish national anthem played, as a symbol of the Kurdish desire for freedom.

Students celebrated this festive day by wearing Kurdish flag pins and traditional clothes decorated in the vibrant colours of red, yellow, and green found on the flag of Kurdistan. During the ceremony a number of activities took place including a marathon, recitation of patriotic poems by the Kurdish poet Mr. Shaban Sulaiman, and Kurdish folklore dance. Finally, the winners of the marathon were awarded by the President of the University of Zakho.

The Kurdistan Flag Day is celebrated annually on December 17th since 2009, when the Parliament of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq passed a law to commemorate the Kurdistan Republic, also known as the Mahabad Republic. In 1946, shortly before the Iranian State reasserted its authority over the Kurdish territory, the founder of the short-lived Republic of Mahabad, Qazi Muhammad, entrusted the flag to the legendary Kurdish leader, then chief of the Republic's army, Mullah Mustafa Barzani. Three months after the Iranian army took control of Mahabad, Iranian authorities executed President Qazi Muhammad by hanging.

The flag was first designed by the exiled leaders of the nationalist Xoybun movement in the early 1920s. It was first used as a state flag by the self-declared Kurdish Republic of Ararat (1927-1930) when its territory was forcibly retaken by the fledgling Republic of Turkey.