President Masoud Barzani delivers a compelling message on the 35th Anniversary of the Anfal campaign in Badinan, emphasizing the need for justice and compensation for the Kurdish people.

Here is the text of the statement:

"In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

Continuing the painful series of crimes and tragedies perpetrated against the Failis Kurds and the sons of our people in Barzan, Garmian, Halabja, and other regions over the past century, thirty-five years ago, the former Iraqi regime, during the final stages of the Anfal campaign, subjected the Badinan region to relentless bombings and chemical attacks. The communities in these areas faced arrests, disappearances, and forced deportations.

The Iraqi government deployed hundreds of thousands of soldiers and instruments of terror against the innocent inhabitants of Badinan, all while the world looked on. Their objective was to crush the indomitable spirit of Badinan's inhabitants. However, the Kurdish people possessed a legitimate will and resolve, and they never succumbed to the enemy's crimes and oppression. It was, ultimately, the enemies and criminals who paid the price for their grave errors and heinous deeds. This stands as a profound lesson for our people and for those who oppose the Kurdish nation.

On this solemn anniversary of the Anfal campaign in Badinan, we pay tribute to the souls of the martyrs and the victims of Anfal. We emphatically stress that the Iraqi state must acknowledge and compensate for the genocide, crimes, and injustices committed against our nation.

Masoud Barzani

August 25, 2023"