Throughout history, policies of destruction, annihilation, and genocide have been carried out against the Kurdish people, aiming to eliminate Kurdish identity, culture, and memory.
The Republic of Iraq and Saddam Hussein
The Anfal campaign was one of the largest political projects aimed at eliminating the Kurdish people in South Kurdistan.
The Anfal Operation, carried out under the rule of then Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, was planned in eight stages and is known in history as a genocide against the Kurds. The name “Anfal” was taken from the Surah Al-Anfal in the Qur’an. The main objective of the operation was to divide, plunder, and destroy Kurdish society.
This policy was carried out through extremely brutal and inhumane methods. On March 16, 1988, the Iraqi army carried out a major genocide in Halabja by using chemical weapons—banned under international law—against civilians.
The stages of the Anfal: Destruction and massacre
The Anfal campaign was carried out under the order of Baath regime leader Saddam Hussein and under the command of Ali Hassan al-Majid. The operation took place in eight stages. Approximately 182,000 Kurds were killed, and nearly 4,500 villages were emptied and destroyed.
Stage 1 (23 February 1988)
Attacks under the command of Sultan Hashim began in the villages of Sergelu, Bergulu, and Dola Cafayeti and around Dukan, continuing until March 19.
Stage 2 (22 March 1988)
Villages and settlements around Qeredax, Tekiye, Segrime, and Silêmanî were targeted.
Stage 3 (7 April 1988)
One of the largest attacks was carried out against the Germiyan region. On April 14, about 20,000 women, children, and men were captured.
Stage 4
Many villages around Rêdar, Axcelar, and Koyê were bombed and destroyed.
Stages 5, 6, and 7
Operations continued in the regions around Rawanduz, Xelifan, Xuşnaw, and nearby areas.
Stage 8 and final stage (25 August – 2 September 1988)
This stage was carried out in the Behdinan region around Zaxo, Amediye, Şêxan, and Akrê.
The bloody attack
The chemical attack on Halabja was also part of the Anfal Operation. Carried out during the Iran-Iraq War in order to suppress Kurdish uprisings, the attack has been recognized as a genocide committed against the Kurdish people.
Medical research conducted by the United Nations revealed that mustard gas and nerve agents were used in the attack. The operation was carried out under the orders of Saddam Hussein and the command of Ali Hassan al-Majid.
“Mother, I smell apples”
On March 16, 1988, the city of Halabja was bombed with chemical weapons by MiG-23 fighter jets. It is estimated that more than 5,000 people—most of them women and children—lost their lives in the attack, and more than 7,000 were injured.
During the attacks, a strong smell of apples spread across the area. Children noticed the smell and told their mothers, “Mother, I smell apples.” For this reason, the Halabja Massacre is also remembered among the people as the “smell of apples.”
A journalist who witnessed the massacre described it as follows: “What I saw was one of the heaviest scenes of my life. There were bodies of people in the streets and against the walls. When I looked closely, I saw that many had died while trying to protect their loved ones.”
The devastating consequences of Anfal
According to available data:
-871 villages and 6 districts were burned.
-381 schools and 657 mosques were destroyed.
-Hundreds of agricultural areas were looted.
-Many water sources were destroyed.
-185 sacred sites were demolished.
-1,435 orchards and vineyards were burned.
-570 tons of grain and 17,220 agricultural tools were destroyed.
-472,770 sheep and goats and 15,000 cattle were killed.
In total, more than 182,000 people were killed during the eight stages of the Anfal campaign. In the third stage alone, in Germiyan, around 45,000 people were killed and 777 families were completely wiped out.
Prof. Fuat Baban, a faculty member at the Faculty of Medicine of Sulaymaniyah University, stated that the rate of congenital anomalies in Halabja is four to five times higher than in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
The effects of the chemical attack in Halabja continue in the region even today.
The verdict against Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein was tried for the Halabja Massacre and was found guilty of committing genocide against the Kurds. He was also convicted of crimes against humanity for the Dujail Massacre and sentenced to death.
On March 1, 2010, the Iraqi High Criminal Court officially recognized the Halabja Massacre as genocide.
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