KRG Delegation Heads to Baghdad to Discuss Halabja's Missing Children

The goal is to accelerate investigations and efforts to determine the fate of the missing children.

Abdullah Haji Mahmoud, Minister of Martyrs and Anfal Affairs. (Photo: KRG)
Abdullah Haji Mahmoud, Minister of Martyrs and Anfal Affairs. (Photo: KRG)

Jan. 22, 2025

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – A delegation from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) is visiting Baghdad on Wednesday to deliberate on the protracted issue of children who went missing following the Halabja chemical attack by Saddam Hussein’s regime, in 1988. 

The delegation is led by Abdullah Haji Mahmoud, Minister of Martyrs and Anfal Affairs, and Dilsoz Jalal, Secretary of the Committee for Determining the Fate of Missing Children. 

This visit underscores the KRG’s steadfast commitment to addressing this enduring tragedy and facilitating the reunification of families with their lost loved ones.

According to a statement from the KRG Ministry of Martyrs and Anfal Affairs, the delegation will meet with relevant Iraqi federal government officials in the next few days. The goal is to accelerate investigations and efforts to determine the fate of the missing children.

The delegation to Baghdad includes representatives from the KRG Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Martyrs and Anfal Affairs, Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, and the Department of Foreign Relations (DFR). 

This collaborative effort exemplifies the complex and interdisciplinary nature of the investigation, necessitating cooperation across multiple governmental entities.

This delegation’s visit forms part of ongoing endeavors to resolve the cases of 211 children who were separated from their families during the chemical bombardment of Halabja.

36 families have formally registered their missing children with the Halabja court. Among these, 18 children have been located, with 10 successfully reunited with their families following DNA confirmation. The remaining cases are still under active investigation.

The chemical assault on Halabja, executed by the Iraqi regime in 1988, resulted in the deaths of thousands and inflicted indelible trauma on the Kurdish population.

Read More: Search for Halabja’s Missing Children Continues