PM Barzani on Anfal campaign: Iraq must compensate victims
Shafaq News/ On Monday, Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani called on the Iraqi government to compensate the victims of the Anfal campaign on all levels.
In a statement marking the 37th anniversary of the campaign by the former Iraqi regime, Barzani described it as an "ominous" action that constituted a genocide against the Kurdish people. “Tens of thousands of innocent people were taken to the deserts of southern and central Iraq, where they were buried in mass graves, many of which remain undiscovered,” he explained.
The tragic consequences of Anfal, he stressed, are still present today, urging the Iraqi government to fulfill its legal, constitutional, and moral obligations by compensating the victims’ families and all those affected, both materially and morally.
— Kurdistan Regional Government (@Kurdistan) April 14, 2025
The Kurdish PM reaffirmed his government’s unwavering commitment to providing all forms of support and services to the families of all Kurdistan’s martyrs, affirming that the memory of the fallen will remain “alive and eternal” in the Kurdish collective conscience.
Anfal Campaign
The Anfal campaign, which began in 1986, intensified in 1988, and continued through 1989, was led by Ali Hassan al-Majid—infamously known as "Chemical Ali." He served as Secretary General of the Ba'ath Party’s Northern Bureau and military governor of the region, while the military operations were commanded by former Iraqi Defense Minister Sultan Hashim.
On May 3, 2011, the Iraqi High Criminal Court classified the Anfal campaign as a “crime against humanity and genocide,” convicting al-Majid, who was also behind the chemical attack on Halabja. He was sentenced to death and executed on January 25, 2010.
The Kurdistan Regional Government has designated April 14 annually as a day of remembrance for the victims of this genocide.
