By: Fuad Othman
Our people commemorate the anniversaries of the 5th, 6th, and 7th stages of the Anfal operations, which targeted the villages and sub-districts belonging to the districts of Shaqlawa and Rawanduz. These stages began following the conclusion of the fourth stage—which covered villages along the Little Zab River in the areas of Shwan and Sheikh Bizaini—specifically on May 15, 1988, and continued until May 25, 1988.
During these stages, as with others, the bloody Saddam regime utilized chemical weapons in the villages of Wari, Nazaneen, Alyawa, Samaquli Kolan, and Bote. In the village of Wari alone, 26 citizens were martyred and 35 others were wounded. In other villages, the number of chemical bombardment victims was lower compared to Wari, as most had already been deserted; the regime had forcibly displaced their inhabitants and declared them “prohibited zones” prior to the start of the Anfal operations.
The regime launched a large-scale offensive against these areas in three main axes. The third axis, which included the villages of Bani Harir and Khalifan, was the most intense, affecting the majority of the villages and resulting in the displacement of 720 families.
Throughout these stages, the regime demolished more than 52 villages, destroying all life-sustaining facilities including schools, health centers, mosques, and places of worship. This was in addition to the burning of fruit orchards and walnut and oak trees. Furthermore, 2,602 families from these regions were “Anfal-ed” (subjected to genocidal disappearance).
The anniversary of these Anfal stages coincides with the commemoration of the National Day for Mass Graves. Consequently, we deem it essential to consolidate efforts to return the remains of the Anfal victims, ensure justice through compensation, conduct DNA testing for victim identification, and document and internationalize these crimes.
On this occasion, the relevant authorities must pay greater attention to these regions by reconstructing them and compensating their inhabitants, who served as a vital support base for the Kurdish revolutions.
As we honor the victims of these crimes, the criminal Hajjaj Hadran al-Tikriti is currently facing trial for crimes committed against the victims of Anfal. We look forward to the issuance of the severest penalties against him. Moreover, the trial and punishment of those collaborators who assisted the regime in the Anfal operations—and who are wanted by the Iraqi High Criminal Court—remains a fundamental demand of all the victims’ families.
We bow in reverence and honor to the martyrs of Anfal in general, and the martyrs of these specific stages in particular.
In conclusion, we say: the crime of Anfal will remain a mark of shame and a black stain on the forehead of the criminal Ba’athist regime, those who mourned it, and the traitors who supported it.
Note: This text is translated from the original Arabic version… Read the Arabic version: Click here
