ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Kurdistan Region’s leaders on Sunday honored the victims of the 1988 Halabja chemical attack and called for the compensation of victims on its 37th anniversary, saying the attack was part of a broader campaign to erase Kurdish identity.
“On the painful memory of the chemical attack on Halabja, we pay tribute to the souls of more than 5,000 martyrs of Halabja and we honorably remember all the martyrs of Kurdistan who died for freedom. Greetings and respect to the families of the martyrs, wounded and victims who are still suffering from the consequences of this terrible crime,” Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani said on X.
President Barzani stressed that the genocide was part of a broader goal to “eliminate the people of Kurdistan.”
“On this occasion, we emphasize once again that the people of Halabja and all the victims of genocide and Anfal must be compensated and provided with the best services in all areas,” he reiterated. “If there was true justice, this tragedy alone would be enough to recognize all the legitimate rights of the Kurdish people.”
President Barzani called on the Iraqi government to shoulder the responsibility of compensating the victims and to ascend Halabja’s status to a province.
Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) leader Masoud Barzani also commemorated the massacre, stating that “the wounds and pain of the chemical attack on Halabja will remain forever in the hearts of all Kurds and will not be forgotten."
He also labeled Baghdad as responsible for compensating the victims.
Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani marked the anniversary and urged the federal government to formalize Halabja as a province, a goal the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has worked towards for more than a decade.
“On the anniversary of the chemical attack on Halabja and its surroundings, we commemorate the martyrs of this massacre by the former Iraqi regime. We are very grateful for the sacrifices of the patriotic and struggling people of Halabja, especially the wounded of the tragedy and the proud relatives of the martyrs,” Barzani said in a statement.
He criticized the federal government for failing to meet its constitutional and legal obligations regarding the ascension of Halabja to a province and the compensation of victims.
“Unfortunately, the federal government has not fulfilled its constitutional and legal responsibility to compensate the families of the victims and martyrs of Halabja and Anfal. Even now, the parliament has not approved the process of making Halabja a province,” the Kurdistan Region’s premier lamented.
On March 16, 1988, towards the end of the eight-year war between Iran and Iraq, the city of Halabja was targeted with chemical weapons by the regime of former dictator Saddam Hussein. The attack resulted in the deaths of at least 5,000 people, primarily women and children, and injured thousands more.
The massacre was part of the former Iraqi Baathist regime’s Anfal campaign against the Kurds that killed over 182,000 people.
In December 2013, the Iraqi Council of Ministers approved a bill to make Halabja the country’s 19th province. However, tense relations between Erbil and Baghdad, coupled with disagreements between Sunni and Shiite blocs in parliament, have impeded the bill’s passage.
The Kurdistan Region’s Council of Ministers in 2014 issued a decision to turn Halabja into a province, making it the fourth province in the Region. Four years later, the Iraqi interior ministry recognized it as a province.
Halabja used to be a city within Sulaimani province. Some residents have complained that not much has changed since its status was changed to province by the Region. It has a population of about 120,000 and consists of four subdistricts: Khurmal, Biyara, Bamo, and Sirwan. It is also a tourist destination.
