ERBIL — Kurdish leaders on Friday remembered the victims of Balisan, Sheikh Wasanan, and Khoshnawati Valley who perished in a chemical attack by the Baath regime in 1987.

Kurdish prominent leader and the president of ruling Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), Masoud Barzani, saluted “the souls of the martyrs” and said “every inch of the land of Kurdistan is a witness to the atrocities and injustices committed against the people of Kurdistan”.

Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani also honored the martyrs, saying that the commemoration of the tragedy should encourage all the sides in Kurdistan to stand united for a better future.

“Today we remember the martyrs of the chemical attack on Balisan, Sheikh Wasanan, and Khoshnawati Valley. 34 years ago, the vicious Baathist regime bombarded these areas and massacred its people,” Kurdistan Region Prime Minister wrote in a statement.

He reiterated his government’s commitment to serving the families of the victims.