[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 4]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 4875]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




           REMEMBERING THE TRAGEDY OF HALABJA 20 YEARS LATER

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. BOB FILNER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, April 2, 2008

  Mr. FILNER. Madam Speaker and colleagues, 20 years ago, on March 16, 
1988, Saddam Hussein launched the largest chemical weapons attack ever 
used against civilians in the Kurdish town of Halabja. The deadly 
cocktail killed an estimated 5,000 residents. Saddam's regime held the 
gruesome distinction of being the first in history to attack its own 
population with poison gas.
  The brutal attack on Halabja was part of a larger campaign, Anfal, 
which means ``the Spoils,'' to annihilate the Kurds of Iraq. It has 
been estimated that between 50,000 and 200,000 Kurds were killed during 
Anfal. Many died in mass executions; thousands more were simply 
``disappeared'' by the regime.
  Halabja symbolizes the suffering of the Kurdish people. The plight of 
Halabja's survivors continues today because of a lack of remediation. 
Little or no decontamination has been done and the health consequences 
of exposure to chemicals including mustard gas, sarin, tabun and VX 
continue to bring death and destruction to Halabja and surrounding 
villages. Children are born with deformities and cancers, and other 
diseases caused by genetic mutations are occurring at much higher rates 
than in other areas.
  The world has historically failed to recognize what happened at 
Halabja. As we reflect on the tragedy of Halabja, it is important to 
look to the future, and we must honor Halabja's victims and stand in 
solidarity with those who survive.

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