The leaders of the autonomous Kurdistan Region in northern Iraq on Sunday commemorated the Halabja massacre of Kurds that took place on March 16, 1988. It is the anniversary of the attack by Saddam Hussein’s regime on the Kurdish people.
The attack targeted Kurds in the area of Halabja, a city in northeastern Iraq. The attack was part of the larger genocidal Anfal campaign that Iraq carried out against Kurds.
This is the 37th anniversary of the attack, which killed about 5,000 people. The larger Anfal campaign murdered as many as 180,000 people.
The attack on Kurds in Iraq was only one part of the attempt by extremist governments to seek to erase Kurdish identity. The Ba’athist regime of Iraq and also Syria persecuted Kurds. The Turkish government also sought to deny that Kurds existed for many years.
The Kurds are also persecuted in Iran, but they have made impressive gains in Iraq and Syria. In northern Iraq, they run their own autonomous government, have their own armed forces, and manage two international airports. The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces in eastern Syria recently signed an agreement with Damascus.
“On the painful memory of the chemical attack on Halabja, we pay tribute to the souls of more than 5,000 martyrs of Halabja and we honorably remember all the martyrs of Kurdistan who died for freedom,” Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani wrote on X/Twitter. “Greetings and respect to the families of the martyrs, wounded and victims who are still suffering from the consequences of this terrible crime.”
“On this occasion, we emphasize once again that the people of Halabja and all the victims of genocide and Anfal must be compensated and provided with the best services in all areas,” he said.
Kurdish leaders called on Baghdad to compensate the victims of the massacre. They also asked for Halabja to become a province within the autonomous Kurdistan Region. Halabja is the capital city of its own governorate.
Iraq has not fulfilled its obligations to compensate the families of the victims of the massacre.
The commemoration of the massacre comes amid commemorations of other events in Kurdish history and also celebrations of the Newroz holiday.
In March 2004, Kurds were massacred in Qamishli, Syria. The massacre was carried out by the Assad regime.
At the time, Kurdish protesters clashed with regime supporters after a sports event. They tore down a statue of Hafez al-Assad, the Syrian regime’s ruler. Dozens of people were killed by the regime, and many were detained.
In addition, March commemorates the 1991 uprising by Kurds against the Saddam regime in Iraq. The uprising pushed the Saddam regime out of parts of northern Iraq and led to US support.
This eventually helped secure the rights of the Kurds under the new Iraqi government that emerged after the US invasion in 2003.
In eastern Syria, the region on Saturday announced the start of Newroz celebrations by lighting a Newroz torch. The holiday will take place this Friday.
“Newroz is a symbol of unity, resistance, and freedom, representing one of the most significant celebrations that embody the struggles of peoples striving for liberation,” a local government official said. “It reflects the enduring spirit of resistance among our people in this region.
“The lighting of the Newroz flame this year holds special significance, as it marks the first celebration of this occasion in our region, North and East Syria, following the fall of the authoritarian Ba’athist regime, which relentlessly sought to prevent the people of this region from celebrating it. Therefore, this year’s celebration stands as a symbol of freedom and liberation from that regime and signals a new beginning toward building a free and democratic Syria.”
In Turkey, women also lit a torch for the holiday. “In a powerful act of remembrance and defiance, Kurdish women’s organizations led Diyarbakır’s first Newroz fire of the year on the city’s ancient walls, symbolizing the vital role of women in the Kurdish freedom movement,” the Medya News news site reported.
This year is particularly important for many of those celebrating because of the hopes for peace in Syria and Turkey and across the region.