PM Barzani calls on Iraqi government to compensate victims of Halabja chemical attack

The Iraqi government recognized Halabja as its 19th province early this week. Previously, the Kurdistan Parliament had recognized the city as a province.
Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani is pictured during a televised address. (Photo: KRG)
Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani is pictured during a televised address. (Photo: KRG)

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Marking the 35th anniversary of the Halabja chemical attack by the former Iraqi regime, Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Thursday called for the compensation of the victims of the genocidal attack.

The Kurdistan Regional Government “reiterate[s] the federal government's moral and constitutional responsibility to compensate the families of the victims of Halabja and Anfal, and all those who suffered at the hands of the brutal regime,” Barzani said in a statement.

As a result of the Halabja genocide, at least 5,000 people, including women and children, were killed en masse by chemical bombs that Saddam Hussein’s regime used during the eight-year-long Iran-Iraq war.

The Anfal campaign was another genocidal attack on the Kurds in Iraq that took place in the late 1980s, which resulted in the death of thousands of people and the destruction of tens of thousands of villages.

The Iraqi government recognized Halabja as its 19th province early this week. Previously, the Kurdistan Parliament had recognized the city as a province.

PM Barzani hailed the decision by the Iraqi government, adding it is the collective responsibility of all to help the victims, particularly from the international community and federal government.

However, 35 years after the tragedy, the suffering of the victims is still ongoing, the premier said.

The survivors of the attack still struggle with health complications from the chemical attack.

Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani (center) standing to observe a moment of silence for the victims of Halabja genocide, March 16, 2023. (Photo: KRG)
Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani (center) standing to observe a moment of silence for the victims of Halabja genocide, March 16, 2023. (Photo: KRG)