Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani marked Wednesday as the 42nd anniversary of the Anfal campaigns. He denounced these actions as criminal and inhumane acts perpetrated by the former dictatorship against Barzani families. Al-Sudani posted on his official X account that over 8,000 people from Barzani tribes vanished during these brutal operations. The prime minister expressed solidarity with victim families and praised their sacrifices for helping Iraq achieve freedom from the dark era. He emphasized that democratic systems emerged from this bloodshed and suffering.
Saddam Hussein's regime executed one of its most severe crimes against Kurdish people on July 31, 1983. Security forces forcibly removed more than 8,000 men, youths, and children from Barzani families at displacement camps near Erbil. These individuals disappeared into southern Iraq's deserts where executioners killed them and buried bodies in mass graves. The broader Anfal operations eliminated approximately 182,000 Kurds while destroying nearly 5,000 villages across the region. Kurdistan Regional Government established memorials and cemeteries to honor victims after discovering burial sites following the 2003 regime collapse.
Saddam Hussein's regime executed one of its most severe crimes against Kurdish people on July 31, 1983. Security forces forcibly removed more than 8,000 men, youths, and children from Barzani families at displacement camps near Erbil. These individuals disappeared into southern Iraq's deserts where executioners killed them and buried bodies in mass graves. The broader Anfal operations eliminated approximately 182,000 Kurds while destroying nearly 5,000 villages across the region. Kurdistan Regional Government established memorials and cemeteries to honor victims after discovering burial sites following the 2003 regime collapse.
