Armenian populations in Iraqi Kurdistan have been in the region since the 1920s , after they were displaced in the Armenian Genocide . Their numbers have increased considerably with waves of new immigration coming from Baghdad and other Iraqi regions after the toppling of Saddam . Armenians attribute their leaving towards the north to safety concerns , with some Armenian institutions and churches having been targeted by bombings , and some Armenians subject of kidnapping and killings in Baghdad and central regions of Iraq . The Armenians consider the Kurdish-dominated parts of Iraq in general to be much safer areas to live in . A Kurdish Government official representing the Armenian community reported to Araratnews in 2011 that Iraqi Kurdistan had 3,600-3,800 Armenians - but this number is likely much higher now due to population displacements due to ISIS and Kurdish annexations of disputed territory . The Armenians of Iraqi Kurdistan have two schools ( in Erbil and Dohuk ) and five churches ( in Dohuk , Erbil , Avzrog , Havresk , Zakho ) . There is also an Armenian church and congregation of 500 in Kirkuk , a city in a disputed region occupied by Iraqi Kurdistan
Armenian Genocide
Armenian Genocide
Armenians in Iraq