Shafaq News/ On Wednesday, Kurdistan RegionPresident Nechirvan Barzani reiterated his commitment to seeking internationalrecognition for the Anfal campaign against the Barzanis as a genocide.
In a statement marking the 41st anniversary ofthe Anfal campaign, Barzani emphasized the need to acknowledge the atrocitiescommitted against the Kurdish people. "We solemnly remember the eightthousand Barzani men, fathers, and elders who were forcibly disappeared betweenJuly 31 and mid-August 1983," Barzani said. "They were subjected to abrutal campaign by the Iraqi regime, which led to their execution in masskillings."
Barzani described the Anfal campaign as anattempt to "break the Kurdish people's spirit" but stated that itultimately strengthened the Kurdish liberation movement. "The campaignaimed to crush our will for freedom, but it has become a dark stain on thosewho carried it out. It has only fueled our resolve to confront oppression withgreater courage and determination."
Praising the resilience of the Barzani families,the Kurdish President said, "Despite the pain and adversity, the Barzanimothers and families stood firm. They managed to raise their orphaned childrenwith dignity and pride, producing a dedicated and capable new generation…Isalute all those who faced these hardships with dignity and did notsurrender."
Moreover, he reaffirmed the Kurdistan RegionGovernment's commitment to pursuing international recognition of the Anfalcampaign and other Kurdish tragedies as ethnic genocide, calling for continuedunity and cooperation among Kurdish political parties and compensation for thevictims' families.
In 1983, an uprising against Saddam's regimeerupted in the Kurdistan Region, leading to the Anfal campaign. Saddamappointed General Ali Hassan al-Majid al-Tikriti, the Secretary of the North inthe Baath Party, to oversee the Anfal campaign. On March 16, 1988, al-Majidordered chemical attacks on Halabja and surrounding villages, an actionrecognized as "genocide."
The campaign targeted the Barzan area, where8,000 individuals were arrested, transported to the deserts of southern Iraq,and executed. Their bodies were buried in mass graves.
On May 3, 2011, the Iraqi High Criminal Courtlabeled the Anfal campaign as a "crime against humanity andgenocide."
Following the fall of Saddam's regime in 2003,several key figures, including Saddam Hussein and Ali Hassan al-Majid, weretried and convicted in connection with the Anfal campaign, with some receivingdeath sentences.