Halabja ‘deserves to be a province’: Iraqi PM Kadhimi
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Halabja deserves to be a province to honor its sacrifices, Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi said on Wednesday.
The Iraqi leader’s comments came as the people of the Kurdistan Region commemorated the 1988 Halabja chemical attack by the former Iraqi regime, which killed 5,000 civilians, including women and children.
On Wednesday, Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani called on the Iraqi government to compensate the victims of the atrocity per the Iraqi constitution and recognize Halabja as a province.
“It deserves to be a province, to honor its sacrifices,” Al-Kadhimi tweeted, vowing to “spare no efforts” in that regard.
The Iraqi official described the city as “the martyr of tyranny”.
Halabja, the martyr of tyranny, is a living witness to our people's struggle for justice; and a symbol for brotherhood and hope of a democratic Iraq.
— Mustafa Al-Kadhimi مصطفى الكاظمي (@MAKadhimi) March 16, 2022
It deserves to be a province, to honour its sacrifices. We will spare no effort to achieve this.
Peace be upon the martyrs of Iraq
Officials and people in the Kurdistan Region observed a minute of silence on Wednesday to commemorate the victims.
Since 2014, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has recognized Halabja as its fourth province, after Duhok, Erbil, and Sulaimani.
Thirty-four years after the attacks, the survivors and victims of the tragedy are still struggling with chronic health consequences.