Iraq to approach Iran on missing Kurds' fate
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Shafaq News/ The Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced, on Friday, its readiness to engage with Iran regarding the fate of Kurdish citizens from al-Sulaymaniyah who went missing in Iran during Saddam Hussein’s Anfal campaigns and chemical attacks in the 1980s.
The Ministry stated that Deputy Minister for Bilateral Relations, Ambassador Mohammad Hussein Mohammad Bahr Al-Uloom, met in Baghdad with Abdullah Haji Mahmood, Minister of Martyrs and Anfal Affairs in the Kurdistan Region, to discuss cooperation mechanisms for tracing missing individuals.
Minister Mahmood emphasized the humanitarian significance of the issue, noting that “many Kurds lost their families during these military operations. The Ministry of Martyrs and Anfal Affairs is working to identify and reunite these citizens with their families.”
Deputy Minister Bahr Al-Uloom affirmed Iraq’s commitment to addressing the matter through official diplomatic channels with Iran, stressing that “the legacy of the former regime’s crimes continues to impact Iraqi society.” He reiterated the ministry’s dedication to pursuing every possible effort to resolve such “historical injustices.”
The Anfal campaigns, one of the most brutal genocidal operations carried out by Saddam Hussein’s regime against the Kurdish people, began in 1986, peaked in 1988, and lasted until 1989. The campaign, led by Ali Hassan al-Majid—infamously known as "Chemical Ali"—resulted in mass killings, forced displacements, and chemical attacks, including the infamous assault on Halabja.
On May 3, 2011, the Iraqi High Criminal Court officially recognized the Anfal campaign as a crime against humanity and genocide. Ali Hassan al-Majid was convicted for his role and executed on January 25, 2010.
The Kurdistan Region commemorates the victims of Anfal annually on April 14.