Kurdistan Region forms council to trace children lost in Iran after Halabja chemical attack
Shafaq News/ On Wednesday, theKurdistan Region’s Minister of Martyrs and Anfal Affairs, Abdullah Haj Mahmud,announced the formation of a council to uncover the fate of children orphanedby the former regime’s chemical bombing of Halabja in the late 1980s, who haveremained in Iran since then.
In a press conference, Haj Mahmudstated, “As many families in Halabja and its surroundings fell victim to thebombing, some young children were taken to hospitals in the Islamic Republic ofIran, where they have remained."
“Many of these children’s fatesremain unknown, so we formed this council with the Cabinet’s approval afterlong discussions,” he said. “The council includes relevant ministries andgovernment departments in the Region,” he explained, acknowledging the challenge,given the lack of records concerning these children.
On March 16, 1988, Iraqi warplanesflew over Halabja for five hours, releasing a mixture of mustard gas, sarin,and nerve agents. The bombing resulted in 5,000 casualties, mostly women andchildren, and thousands of injuries.
In January 2010, Ali Hassanal-Majid, known as "Chemical Ali" and a cousin of President SaddamHussein, was sentenced to death and executed for his role in this massacre.
The chemical attack on Halabja, inthe final days of the eight-year Iran-Iraq war, was the largest assault of itskind against Kurdish civilians. Deemed genocide, it meets international law’scriteria for targeting a specific ethnic group with intent for retribution orpunishment.
