THE WHITE HOUSE SPEECH ON HALABJA / ANFAL
Statement by NSC Spokesperson Caitlin Hayden on the 25th Anniversary of the Halabja Massacre
Today marks the 25th anniversary of the horrific massacre by Saddam Hussein’s regime of over 5,000 innocent civilians in a chemical weapons attack on the city of Halabja, in Iraq’s Kurdistan Region.
At least 10,000 people were blinded and maimed. This terrible crime was but one of many in Hussein’s Anfal Campaign, in which tens of thousands of innocent Iraqis were slaughtered. On this solemn occasion, we honor the memories of the husbands, wives, sons, and daughters who perished at Halabja and throughout the Anfal, as we continue our efforts to prevent future atrocities, and help ensure that perpetrators of such crimes are held accountable.