Iraq
The monument in Halabja built to honor the victims of the 1998 chemical attack on the city. Photo: AFP
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Iraqi Council of Ministers on Monday officially approved Halabja as the country’s 19th province three days before the 35th anniversary of the horrific chemical attack on the city at the hands of the former Baathist government.
“In recognition of the upcoming anniversary of the tragedy of Halabja, the Council of Ministers approved a bill to establish the Halabja province in the Republic of Iraq,” reads a statement from Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani’s office, adding that the bill was sent to the parliament “to do justice for this city and in honor of its martyrs.”
On the last days of the eight-year-long Iran-Iraq war, warplanes of the former regime of Saddam Hussein rained down a lethal cocktail of chemical weapons on the city of Halabja, killing at least 5,000 people, mostly women and children, and injuring thousands of others. The event, which was recognized as an act of genocide by Iraq's High Court in 2010, has left a permanent scar in the historical memory of the Kurdish people.
The attack was part of a longer genocidal campaign against Iraq’s Kurds by the Baathist regime that continues to resonate in the minds of Kurds to this day.
In January, Sudani told Rudaw that the Iraqi government is “serious” about implementing the decision to treat Halabja as an Iraqi province.
Halabja Governor Azad Tofiq praised Sudani and the Council of Ministers for the decision and formally invited the premier to Halabja on the anniversary of the chemical attack, while also thanking the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) for promoting the elevation of the province.
“On March 16, 2023, we formally invite Sudani, the Iraqi prime minister, to visit Halabja,” he told Rudaw’s Sima Abxizir while hoping that Halabja’s share in the 2023 federal budget approved on Monday is considered.
“We hope that Halabja will not be deprived of the budget of 2023 as the 19th province of Iraq,” he said.
Tofiq also called on the Iraqi government to compensate the victims of the chemical attack in Halabja.
The Kurdistan Council of Ministers issued a decision in March 2014 to turn Halabja into a province, making it the fourth province in the Region. Four years later, the Iraqi interior ministry recognized its status as a province.
Previously a city within Sulaimani province, Halabja’s residents have complained of a lack of services and that not much has changed since its status was elevated to a province.
“In recognition of the upcoming anniversary of the tragedy of Halabja, the Council of Ministers approved a bill to establish the Halabja province in the Republic of Iraq,” reads a statement from Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani’s office, adding that the bill was sent to the parliament “to do justice for this city and in honor of its martyrs.”
On the last days of the eight-year-long Iran-Iraq war, warplanes of the former regime of Saddam Hussein rained down a lethal cocktail of chemical weapons on the city of Halabja, killing at least 5,000 people, mostly women and children, and injuring thousands of others. The event, which was recognized as an act of genocide by Iraq's High Court in 2010, has left a permanent scar in the historical memory of the Kurdish people.
The attack was part of a longer genocidal campaign against Iraq’s Kurds by the Baathist regime that continues to resonate in the minds of Kurds to this day.
In January, Sudani told Rudaw that the Iraqi government is “serious” about implementing the decision to treat Halabja as an Iraqi province.
Halabja Governor Azad Tofiq praised Sudani and the Council of Ministers for the decision and formally invited the premier to Halabja on the anniversary of the chemical attack, while also thanking the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) for promoting the elevation of the province.
“On March 16, 2023, we formally invite Sudani, the Iraqi prime minister, to visit Halabja,” he told Rudaw’s Sima Abxizir while hoping that Halabja’s share in the 2023 federal budget approved on Monday is considered.
“We hope that Halabja will not be deprived of the budget of 2023 as the 19th province of Iraq,” he said.
Tofiq also called on the Iraqi government to compensate the victims of the chemical attack in Halabja.
The Kurdistan Council of Ministers issued a decision in March 2014 to turn Halabja into a province, making it the fourth province in the Region. Four years later, the Iraqi interior ministry recognized its status as a province.
Previously a city within Sulaimani province, Halabja’s residents have complained of a lack of services and that not much has changed since its status was elevated to a province.
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