Salahddin, Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRP.org) – On the anniversary of the chemical bombardment of the town of Halabja, Kurdistan Region President Masoud Barzani today, the 16th March 2014, signed a regional directive to promote Halabja from district status to a province.

Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq (KRG.org) – On Thursday 13 March Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani formally designated Halabja as the fourth province of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. At the press conference following the ratification Prime Minister Barzani said, "I hope the actions of the KRG today have met the desires and the aspirations of the dear people of Halabja, and I hope that we have been able to bring some joy to the citizens of Halabja a few days before the anniversary of the horrible attack on the city 26 years ago."

During a meeting with a number of KRG officials and the visiting delegation from Halabja, Prime Minister Barzani said that Halabja is a symbol for all of the oppression and suffering endured by the people of Kurdistan. He added that the decision to legally declare it a province was more than a gesture of kindness but a decision of genuine importance to the KRG. The Prime Minister highlighted that the decision had already been agreed by the Kurdistan Region Parliament in 1999. Prime Minister Barzani also noted that the KRG addressed this issue and implemented this decision in coordination with the Federal Government of Iraq so that Halabja can benefit from the same privileges enjoyed by all Iraqi provinces.

The delegation of representatives from the province of Halabja included the mayor, representatives of administrative institutions, the Organisation of the Victims of Halabja, Islamic scholars, and members from civil society organisations and different political parties. The delegation welcomed the decision by the KRG. Members of the delegation said that the people of Halabja had been eagerly awaiting this decision.

Following the meeting and official signature by the Prime Minister, participants attended a press conference where the executive decree was read aloud. Speaking to the press, Prime Minister Barzani congratulated the people of Halabja and expressed his pleasure that all political parties in the Kurdistan Region stood with a united voice in supporting this decision.

Dr. Jegar Khavin, deputy-representative of Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraq in Tehran

In some political and strategic analysts’ views, the Baath army’s chemical bombing was a reaction to failures caused by common acts of Kurdish fighters of Iraq and Iranian forces. Following Valfajr act 10, Iranian forces together with Kurdish devotees entered Kurdish part of Halabcheh and warmly greeted and welcomed by people. 

A little later in Jun 28, 1987, Iraqi Aircraft droped chemical bombs on Halabcheh. Iraqi fighters, in different part of town, dropped chemical bombs having nerve killing gas such as VX, Sarin, Taboon with other terrible mustard gas on people so it left 5000 martyrs and 7000 injured. Most of martyrs were elders, women and children. This rare tragedy moved the world conscience so highly that it will never be removed from human society and Kurd nation in Iraq. It seems that the formation of such savage act should be sought upon military equations. 

This military offense and inhuman was a part of Iraq regime policy in an identity reaction to Kurds in Kurdistan of Iraq which was carried out in the frame of the acts so-called Anfal. Anfal acts and the extinction of Kurdish people in Iraq started in 1975 followed disappearance of 12000 Fili Kurds, 8000 Barzani Kurds, 182000 Garmiani and Kurds from other parts. At last, Baath regime showed his cruelty and genocide broadly by chemical bombing of Halabcheh. 

The years earlier, in spite of difficulties and pains decades by decades, Iraq Kurds maintained their own independent cultural identity. Their identical features had similarities and unseparated ties with other parts of Aria and Iranian civilization. 

More than other politicians, Saddam engaged in Kurds matter. He spared no efforts including genocide and chemical bombing, mass slaughtering and torturing, the negation of their being and burying innocent people alive to extinct Kurdish identity and cultural and civilization features. Despite of all these acts Kurds have been kept and appreciate their noble identity. The ethnocentrism and racism attitudes and policies of Baath regime caused Kurds reaction and their preparation of Eylul rising under the Mullah Mustafa Barzani in 1961. 

In 1971 thousands of Fili Kurds were forced by Baath army to migrate Iran, a little later, thousands were forced to leave Karkuk and migrate southern regions. Some years later these acts broadly continued systematically. Frankly speaking, fighting against cultural identity of Kurds changed to the most important aspect of interior and foreign policy of Baath regime. 

Kurdish people continuously desired to maintain the aspects of cultural and civilization identity and considered Iran aid and support as a way to keep such identical features. Through this aspect, Saddam attempt to invite Iran king to solve the border disagreements and signing the contract of Algeria 1975 was a trick to eliminate Kurds on political map of Iraq, tempting Iran and saving sufficient time to strengthen his military forces and taking revenge from Iran in an appropriate time. After Islamic Revolution victory, Saddam, in his picture, thought the new regime of Iran would not be able to resist his equipped army. Thus, he tore apart the contract of Algeria showed on the governmental TV and sot out to attack broadly Iran leading to victimize hundred thousands of innocent people and civilians. Saddam called fight against Iran the Arab-Persian war, it seemed he fought against major core of Iranian identity and civilization. This fight also had a clear message for Kurds, this time he attacked civilizational origin of Kurds. 

Although the chemical attack of Iraq Army was at the beginning years of the fight, in terminal years it got worse when weakness and inefficiency appeared in Baath army, the attacks which were determinant in slowing Iranian forces progression. Halabcheh chemical bombing occurred in such atmosphere. In fact, chemical attack not only was a Baath army’s reaction to people welcoming Iranian forces but in a broad considering it also was a part of the aggressive government acts in the policy of reaction to Kurds identity. Undoubtedly, this inhuman act indicated racist Baaths’ hostility, enmity and disgust to Arian and Iranian identity.

From 1983 to terminal years of the fight, Saddam made different attempts for genocide of Kurds. Within this time, he devastated 4500 border villages of Kurds and moved the residents to forced camps or other areas of Iraq. Due to this act, thousands of houses, schools, mosques and churches were demolished. He even commended to cut the trees of this area in order to vanish any sign of life and possibility of refugees return. Saddam’s cruel and inhuman acts actually were one of the most important aspect and climax of such policy of racism. 

Meanwhile, Iranian nation and government role in support of the injured of Halabcheh tragedy was unique and deserves to be appreciated. Iran different organization such as the Army, Sepah, Air force and Red Crescent helped the injured with all their powers and available equipments and facilities. Right now chemical patients are transferred to Iran to be treated. This is a sign of humanitarianism and altruism of Iranians which is common civilization features between Iranians and Kurds. 

In addition, Iran’s attempt to introduce the aspects of this humanity tragedy to the world is another appreciated work. Iranians leaders informed the then general secretary of the UN about chemical attack to Halabcheh; he also informed this to Security Council. It convicted this act and denied mentioning the name of Iraq for being under pressure of great powers who themselves equipped Iraq with chemical weapons; however, Iran continued to introduce this inhuman tragedy in a broader range. By Iran’ invitation, many non- and governmental societies visited the victims while their bodied were on the ground as result of this attack. They provided a lot of pictures. Many vast attempts were carried out for political broads to visit the victims suffering from this attack. Tehran tried, at any way, to make this racism tragedy clear for the world to uncover the real origin of the Baath regime, the characteristic of Saddam and innocence of Halabcheh people.

 In International law view, chemical bombing of Halabcheh was an evident breach of the protocol of Jun 17, 1925 on conviction for usage of chemical weapons, of the documents of the Hague Peace Conference 1899 and 1907, of the art clause 6 of Nuremberg Court Articles of Association 1964, the clause 5 of Washington Treaty 1922, the clause 3 of Universal Declaration of Human Rights 1948, Non-proliferation Convention (the Protocol of Non-proliferation 1929 and 4th Geneva Convention 1949). In this view, upon war crime, it is included as a clear instance of inhuman crime with the aim of extinction of mass group of human. 

Now, like Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Halabcheh witnesses the birth of children with chemical affections and physical-mental problems. Halabcheh still witnesses deaths of human affected by chemical bombing experiencing vast pains and difficulties during their life, and they themselves know the destructive results of this weapon transfer from generation to generation. 

However, Halabcheh is alive even with all these pains, and the sculpture of the child lying in his mother arms reminds of this song saying a child’s life costs more than any border.

Salahaddin, Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRP.org) – Kurdistan Region Presidency commends the Iraqi Council of Ministers for its approval of a draft proposal to promote Halabja, from district status to a province.

“We laud this decision by the Iraqi Council of Ministers, and hope that the Iraqi Council of Representatives also approves this as soon as possible,” the statement from the Presidency stated.

“We call on all parliamentary blocks in the Iraqi Council of Representatives to play their national role on this issue, as they did when they recognized the Anfal and the chemical bombing of Halabja as crimes of genocide. We further call on all Kurdish parliamentary blocks to work together and approach other parliamentary blocks to secure their votes on this draft law.”