Official reiterates UK’s support to Kurdish people on 34th anniversary of Anfal campaign

“The UK remains committed in its support for the peace and prosperity of the people of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.”

Wladimir van Wilgenburg 2022/04/14 21:31

British Secretary of State for Asia and the Middle East Amanda Milling (Photo: UK government)

Kurdistan Anfal Campaign Amanda Milling Garmiyan Saddam Hussein United Kingdom

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – “The UK remains committed in its support for the peace and prosperity of the people of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq,” said British Secretary of State for Asia and the Middle East Amanda Milling on the 34th anniversary of the Anfal campaign on Thursday.

“Today marks the 34th Anniversary of the Anfal campaign – Saddam Hussein’s brutal campaign against the Kurdish people in Iraq. Tens of thousands of Iraqi Kurds were slaughtered and thousands more injured, maimed and expelled from their homes. The use of chemical weapons in such a coordinated and planned manner by a state against its own people is horrific beyond comprehension,” Milling said in a statement.

“My thoughts are with those who died, those who are mourning the loss of loved ones, and those that continue to suffer from the tragic events of 1988,” she added. “We mark this occasion to honor the memories of those who died and to ensure we never forget Saddam Hussein’s monstrous crimes against the Kurdish people.”

Thursday marked the 34th anniversary of the beginning of the Anfal campaign in Garmiyan on Apr. 14, 1988. During that infamous campaign, at least 180,000 Kurds, including women and children, were murdered by the former Iraqi regime.

In a phone call with Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani after the unprecedented Iranian missile attack on Erbil in mid-March, Milling also “reiterated that the United Kingdom supports the people of the Kurdistan Region and stressed that her country is a strong supporter of the security of the Kurdistan Region and Iraq.”