Today, on the 39th anniversary of the Anfal and genocide of 8,000 Barzani innocent men and boys, we pay tribute to the souls of the victims of Anfal and remember them with the utmost dignity and respect.

We salute their families and relatives who endured a very difficult and bitter life following this murderous mass crime, and we salute thousands of proud mothers who, alone and without assistance, took on the duty of bringing up their children and succeeded to raise a kind generation. These mothers are the sources of our pride; and I kiss their hands.

Just as all the crimes and tragedies of history failed to break the will and resilience of the Kurdish people, the disappearance and Anfal of the Barzanis gave greater strength to the resistance of the Kurdish people and their struggle for freedom; while the perpetrators of the Anfal were obliterated.

Today, on this occasion, as we entrust the bodies of 100 Barzani victims of Anfal to the sacred soil of our motherland, my heart goes out to the mothers, wives, sisters, children and relatives of the Anfal victims. I stand with them and share their unimaginable pain. We thank the brave people of Erbil and all those who helped the families of the Anfal victims.

Tribute to the memory of the martyrs.

Nechirvan Barzani
The President of the Kurdistan Region