Shafaq News- Halabja

Nearly four decades after the 1988 chemical bombardment of Halabja, around 6,000 survivors continue to grapple with chronic illness, psychological trauma, and demands for fair compensation, underscoring the long shadow cast by one of the most devastating attacks against civilians in modern Middle Eastern history.

On March 16, 1988, aircraft from Saddam Hussein’s regime dropped chemical agents —including mustard gas and nerve agents— over the Kurdish town near the Iraqi-Iranian border, killing around 5,000 civilians within hours and injuring more than 10,000. The attack formed part of the broader Anfal campaign against Kurdish communities across northern Iraq.

A recent study led by clinical psychologist Dr. Ibrahim Mohammed, published in Frontiers in Psychiatry, found exceptionally high levels of trauma among survivors of the Halabja attack.

According to the research, nearly 79% of Anfal survivors, mainly in Halabja, met symptom criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), while about 65% showed clinically significant depression or anxiety. More than half also reported severe physical symptoms —including chronic pain, fatigue, and gastrointestinal problems— linked to prolonged psychological distress.

Mohammed said the findings show how trauma continues to manifest physically decades after the attack. “In many cases, physical symptoms such as headaches, back pain, and exhaustion are expressions of deep psychological wounds,” he explained, noting that limited access to mental-health services has compounded the suffering of survivors.

The study also highlighted cumulative trauma among survivors who endured displacement, the loss of relatives, and repeated violence during the Anfal campaign.

The long-term medical impact of chemical exposure remains visible in Halabja today. Medical workers who spoke to Shafaq news revealed high rates of respiratory illness, cancer, and eye disorders among survivors. Many still require ongoing treatment decades after the attack.

A specialized hospital for victims of chemical weapons exposure opened in Halabja in March 2019, but doctors say it continues to face shortages of essential medicines and equipment, forcing some patients to seek treatment elsewhere in the Kurdistan Region or abroad.

Local health officials estimate that hundreds of survivors remain under medical care, while others continue to struggle with chronic conditions linked to chemical exposure.

According to the head of Halabja Chemical Attack Victims Association, Luqman Abdulqader, 486 survivors still live with severe health complications, some of whom still rely on daily oxygen, and have recently died.

Across the Kurdistan Region, about 808 people are officially registered as victims of chemical exposure, including roughly 320 residents of Halabja.

For many survivors and families of victims, the struggle today extends beyond health challenges to demands for legal recognition and financial compensation. Some survivors say the support they have received over the years falls far short of the scale of their losses.

“We survived the attack, but we did not escape its consequences,” Marwan Ali, one of the survivors, told Shafaq News. “Many people are still living with chronic illnesses and have lost several members of their families.”

Others say victims of Halabja and the broader Anfal campaign have not always received the same level of compensation granted to victims of other crimes committed by the former regime, including pensions, land allocations, and employment quotas for affected families.

“Despite repeated visits by Iraqi government committees to Halabja over the years, long-term solutions for survivors —including comprehensive healthcare and sustained financial support— have yet to materialize,” Abdulqader, who also lost members of his family, said earlier.

Amid these frustrations, local officials keep renewing calls for compensation after Halabja was formally recognized as Iraq’s 19th province, a move they say must improve services and federal attention to victims’ needs.

Halabja Governor Azad Tofiq reiterated the demand during previous commemorations of the chemical attack, stressing that the federal government should “not discriminate between citizens from Zakho to the far south in al-Faw.” He noted that more than 5,000 innocent people were killed in the bombardment and questioned what support had been provided to their families since then.

Nearly four decades after the attack, Halabja survivors believe that the legacy of the chemical bombardment is not confined to history books but reflected in the illnesses they endure and their continuing calls for justice. Therefore, without sustained medical care, mental-health support, and equitable compensation, the human cost of the massacre will continue to affect generations of survivors and their families.