‘A Black Mark’: President Barzani calls for justice on Anfal anniversary
Shafaq News – Erbil
Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani on Thursday marked the 42nd anniversary of the Anfal Campaign, calling on the Iraqi government to restore the rights of the victims' families.
On X, Barzani described the crime as “a black mark” in Iraq’s history and a failed attempt to eliminate the Kurds, stressing that the former regime’s efforts collapsed in the face of Kurdish resilience and determination.
Barzani pointed to the enduring hardship faced by the victims' families, particularly the women who faced decades of grief, poverty, and marginalization, urging Baghdad to take “all necessary steps to deliver justice.”
“Let the past, its suffering and injustice, be a lesson and reminder,” he noted, “so that all components of Iraq can live together in mutual acceptance, respect, forgiveness, and in peace and dignity. Let the nation belong to all equally, without discrimination.”
ئهمڕۆ چل و دوو ساڵ بهسهر تاوانى سامناكى ئهنفالكردنى ههشت ههزار هاووڵاتيى سڤيلى بێتاوانى بارزانيدا تێدهپهڕێت. لهم ياده خهمگينهدا، سهرمان لهبهردهم گيانى پاكياندا دادهنوێنين و بهوپهڕى ڕێز و وهفادارييهوه بهبيريان دههێنينهوه. ئهنفالكردنى بارزانييان لهلايه…
— Nechirvan Barzani (@IKRPresident) July 31, 2025
On July 31, 1983, the former Baath regime rounded up more than eight thousand Barzani men and boys—most of whom had been forcibly resettled in collective towns near Erbil. They were transported to the southern desert of Samawah and executed in one of the deadliest phases of the Anfal Campaign, later classified as genocide and ethnic cleansing.
