Barzani Message Marks Anniversary of Chemical Attack on Balisan, Sheikh Wasanan, and Khoshnawati Valley
ARK News.. Masoud Barzani issued a statement on Saturday, April 16, 2026, marking the 39th anniversary of the chemical attack carried out by the former Iraqi regime in 1987 against the areas of Balisan, Sheikh Wasanan, and Khoshnawati valley, stressing that those atrocities were part of a systematic policy aimed at the extermination of the Kurdish people.
The following is the full text of the statement:
In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful,
On April 16, 1987, the former Iraqi regime committed another crime against the Kurdish people by bombing the regions of Balisan, Sheikh Wasanan, and Khoshnawati valley with chemical weapons. This crime resulted in the martyrdom and injury of a large number of innocent civilians in those areas.
This atrocity marked the beginning of campaigns targeting civilian populations with chemical weapons and the continuation of a policy of genocide against our people. The regime did not stop at this crime; it later arrested dozens of those injured in the disaster and buried them alive in a brutal manner.
On the 39th anniversary of this inhumane crime, we honor the souls of the martyrs of that tragedy and express our solidarity with their families and loved ones. We will never forget the painful memory of this crime and all the suffering endured by the people of Kurdistan; it will forever remain present in our collective memory.
Masoud Barzani
April 16, 2026
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