Kurdistan Region forms council to trace children lost in Iran after Halabja chemical attack

Shafaq News/ On Wednesday, the Kurdistan Region’s Minister of Martyrs and Anfal Affairs, Abdullah Haj Mahmud, announced the formation of a council to uncover the fate of children orphaned by the former regime’s chemical bombing of Halabja in the late 1980s, who have remained in Iran since then.

In a press conference, Haj Mahmud stated, “As many families in Halabja and its surroundings fell victim to the bombing, some young children were taken to hospitals in the Islamic Republic of Iran, where they have remained."

“Many of these children’s fates remain unknown, so we formed this council with the Cabinet’s approval after long discussions,” he said. “The council includes relevant ministries and government departments in the Region,” he explained, acknowledging the challenge, given the lack of records concerning these children.

On March 16, 1988, Iraqi warplanes flew over Halabja for five hours, releasing a mixture of mustard gas, sarin, and nerve agents. The bombing resulted in 5,000 casualties, mostly women and children, and thousands of injuries.

In January 2010, Ali Hassan al-Majid, known as "Chemical Ali" and a cousin of President Saddam Hussein, was sentenced to death and executed for his role in this massacre.

The chemical attack on Halabja, in the final days of the eight-year Iran-Iraq war, was the largest assault of its kind against Kurdish civilians. Deemed genocide, it meets international law’s criteria for targeting a specific ethnic group with intent for retribution or punishment.