Chemical attacks on Khoshnawati Valley ‘unforgettable crime’, says KDP Barzani

Barzani extended his condolences to those who lost their lives.

Kurdistan 24 2023/04/16 15:11

Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) President Masoud Barzani speaking during an interview with BBC Arabic. (Photo: Screengrab/BBC Arabic)

Kurdistan Kurdistan Region Balisan Sheikh Wasanan Khoshnawati Valley Erbil Genocide Saddam Hussein Iraq

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The chemical attacks by the former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein on the Khoshnawati Valley in Erbil province is an “unforgettable crime,” the leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) said in a statement on the anniversary of the tragedy.

The Kurdistan Region marks the 36th anniversary of the chemical bombardments of Balisan, Sheikh Wasanan, and Koshnawati Valley by the former Ba’athist regime on April 16, 1987. At least 265 people were killed as a result of the attack.

“Deep wounds from the crimes against Balisan, Sheikh Wasanan, and Khoshnawati Valley as well as against all the Kurdish people still remain and it will never be forgotten,” the KDP President Masoud Barzani said in a statement on Sunday.

Aisha Taha Abdulla, a survivor of the Balisan Valley chemical attack in 1987, is pictured in her village. (Photo: Courtesy of Kurdish Memory Programme)

Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani on Sunday issued a statement on the anniversary of the tragedy, describing the impacted areas as the “cradle of struggle against tyranny.”

Barzani extended his condolences to those who lost their lives.

Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani speaking during a press conference. (Photo: Kurdistan Region Presidency)

The former regime conducted an eight-stage ethnic cleansing campaign, dubbed Anfal, in which hundreds of thousands of Kurdish people, including women and children died.