Message from President Barzani on the 38th Anniversary of the Anfal Tragedy
ARK News.. President Masoud Barzani, in a message marking the 38th anniversary of the Anfal Campaign on Tuesday, April 14, 2026, stressed the need for international recognition of the crime as genocide.
The following is the full text of President Barzani’s message:
“In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful,
The Anfal remains a deep wound in the hearts of all the people of Kurdistan. It stands as one of the most heinous crimes systematically and deliberately committed by the former authority in Iraq against the people of Kurdistan. These inhumane acts resulted in the loss and martyrdom of 182,000 Kurdish citizens, whose only ‘crime’ was their Kurdish identity.
These crimes also included chemical bombardment, Arabization policies, forced displacement, demographic change, the destruction of thousands of villages, and attempts to eradicate all means of life in Kurdistan—atrocities carried out by the former Iraqi government against the Kurdish people.
The Anfal constituted a grave injustice and an act of extreme aggression. At the same time, it serves as a vital lesson for present and future generations—one whose lessons must never be overlooked under any circumstances. It is imperative that this crime be internationally recognized as an act of genocide.
At the level of Iraq, there must be guarantees to ensure that such crimes are never repeated against the people of Kurdistan. The Iraqi state also bears responsibility for compensating the victims of Anfal and addressing the damage caused by this genocide inflicted upon our people.
On the 38th anniversary of the Anfal tragedy, we send our deepest salutations to the souls of the Anfal martyrs and all martyrs of Kurdistan, and we express our solidarity with the dignified families of the victims.”
Masoud Barzani
April 14, 2026
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