Place:Halabja

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Halabja (Kurdish: ھەڵەبجە, romanized: Helebce, Arabic: حلبجة[1]) is a city in northeast Iraq and the capital of Halabja Governorate, located about 240 km (150 mi) northeast of Baghdad and 14 km (9 mi) from the Iranian border.

The city lies at the base of what is often called the greater Hewraman region, stretching across the Iran-Iraq border. Halabja is surrounded by Hawraman and the Shnrwe range in the northeast, the Balambo range in the south and the Sirwan river in the west. Kurds in the city of Halabja mostly speak the Sorani dialect of Kurdish, but some residents of the surrounding villages speak the Gorani dialect.

History

Early history

The history of Halabja is believed to have started during the Akkadian Empire period (24th century BC). The ancient city-kingdom of Lullubi from that period is thought to be located in the Halabja area. The excavations at nearby archaeological sites like Bakr Awa revealed a long history. The cemetery there includes the tombs of several historical figures, such as Ahmed Mukhtar Jaff, Tayar Bag Jaff and Adila Khanim. In August 2009, three 17th century tombs were discovered in the Ababile district of the town.[2]

This suggests that the town is somewhat older than indicated by some sources, which claim that it was built by the Ottoman Empire at about 1850.[attribution needed] However, modern developments date from the early 20th century. The post office opened in 1924 and the first school opened the following year. The Qaysari Pasha and Hamid Beg bazaars were built in 1932. Electricity did not reach the city until 1940.[3]

At the beginning of the 20th century, many British soldiers were stationed in Halabja. During World War I, Adela Khanum saved the lives of several British soldiers, resulting in the British honoring her with the title Khan Bahadur, Princess of the Brave. She also oversaw the construction of a prison, a court of justice (of which she was the president) and a bazaar.[4]

During the Al-Anfal campaign of the Iraqi government, which took place between March 1987 and May 1989, the neighborhoods Kani Ashqan and Mordana were erased as a reprisal for their support of the Kurdish Peshmerga rebels.[5] But Halabja suffered much more during the campaign, in which Saddam Hussein violently suppressed Kurdish revolts during the Iran–Iraq War.

Chemical attack

The Kurdish Peshmerga guerrillas, supported by Iran, captured Halabja in the final phase of the Iran–Iraq War. At 11:00 AM, On March 16, 1988, after two days of conventional artillery attacks, Halabja poison gas attack|Iranian planes dropped gas canisters on the town.[6][7] The town and surrounding district were attacked with bombs, artillery fire and chemical weapons, the last of which proved most devastating. At least 5,000 people died as an immediate result of the chemical attack and it is estimated that a further 7,000 people were injured or suffered long-term illness.[8] Most of the victims of the attack on the town of Halabja were Kurdish civilians.[9]

The attack was blamed on Iraq and its leader Saddam Hussein and is believed to have included the nerve agents Tabun, Sarin and VX, as well as mustard gas. However, according to former senior CIA analyst Stephen C. Pelletiere, Iraq did not have the nerve agent used in the attack but did have mustard gas which was used in the Iran–Iraq War. An interdisciplinary scientific study from 2019, after more than three decades, shows that the chemical attacks on Halabja have long-term biological, psychological and social effects on the survivors. The authors, Faraidoun Moradi, Mia Söderberg, Fazil Moradi and others conclude: "The post-exposure somatic and psychosocial effects such as respiratory symptoms of CWA are a plausible contributors to poor general health and quality of life among survivors. We conclude that multidisciplinary interventions are needed to tackle the biopsychosocial complications in survivors of SM exposure to minimize further health damage in the future, as well as to promote their health-related quality of life."[10]

It is occasionally suggested[11] that cyanide was also included among these chemical weapons, though this assertion has been cast into doubt, as cyanide is a natural byproduct of impure Tabun.[12]

Before the war ended the Iraqis moved in on the ground and completely destroyed the town.[13] In March 2010, the Iraqi High Criminal Court recognized the Halabja massacre as genocide; the decision was welcomed by the Kurdistan Regional Government.[14]

Kurdish autonomy

Just before Kurds gained some autonomy over the Iraqi Kurdistan region in 1991, which included Halabja, a new town was set up where some former Kurdish refugees later relocated. The new town called Halabja Taza (or New Halabja) today has an estimated 9,000 homes.[15]

The Kurdistan Regional Government made some concentrated reconstruction efforts after 2003 in the old town and began rebuilding some of the bombed-out homes in Halabja and paving new roads. A memorial was also constructed for the victims of the chemical attacks. However, residents of Halabja have complained about the continued lack of basic services and necessities.[16]

On the 2006 anniversary of the gas attack, violent demonstrations erupted in Halabja. An estimated 7,000 demonstrators protested against priorities in reconstruction, claiming that officials were not sincerely addressing the problems of the gas attack victims. Roadblocks were set up and the gas attack memorial museum was set afire. Police fired at protesters killing one 14-year-old boy and wounding many others.[17]

Modern times

In 2008, plans were announced to construct an international airport for the city.[18]

On 12 November 2017 at 21:18 local time, an earthquake struck approximately 32 kilometres (20 mi) south-southwest of Halabja.[19]

On 14 April 2025, the Iraqi Parliament named Halabja the 19th province of Iraq.[20]

Climate

Halabja has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Csa) with very hot summers and cool wet winters.

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Topography

Halabja is located in the Shahrizor plain, a fertile valley nestled in the foothills of the Zagros Mountains in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The city's elevation is around 700 meters above sea level. The surrounding area is characterized by mountainous terrain, with the Hawraman Mountain range to the east, which plays a significant role in the city's climate and geography. The region's topography includes rolling hills and valleys, making it ideal for agriculture, particularly in the fertile plains. [22]

Twin Towns-Sister Cities

  • Spain Guernica, Spain[23]

See also

  • Dujail
  • Human rights in Saddam Hussein's Iraq
  • Operation Red Dawn
  • Trial of Saddam Hussein

References

  1. ↑ نت, صلاح حسن بابان-الجزيرة. "أشلاء المدنيين دفنت في حفر كبيرة.. يوم قصفت حلبجة العراقية بالأسلحة الكيميائية" (in ar). https://www.aljazeera.net/news/politics/2021/3/17/في-الذكرى-33-للفاجعة-تعرف-على-قصة-قصف. 
  2. ↑ "Ancient tombs found in Halabja". AK News. 2008-08-09. http://www.aknews.com/en/aknews/1/61417/. 
  3. ↑ "History of Halabja". PUK media. 2009-03-16. http://pukmedia.com/english/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3760&Itemid=1. 
  4. ↑ "Adela Khanum – Princess of the Brave". Kurdistan's Women. 2008-04-04. https://kurdistanwomen.blogspot.com/2008/04/adela-khanum-princess-of-brave_2339.html. 
  5. ↑ Committee, Human Rights Watch Middle East Watch; Staff, Middle East Watch; Black, George; Watch (Organization), Middle East (1993) (in en). Genocide in Iraq: The Anfal Campaign Against the Kurds. Human Rights Watch. p. 103. ISBN 978-1-56432-108-4. 
  6. ↑ "Remembering Victims of Genocide: The Chemical Attack on Halabja 1988". http://www.rudaw.net/english/kurdistan/15032017. 
  7. ↑ "1988: Thousands die in Halabja gas attack". BBC News. 1988-03-16. https://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/march/16/newsid_4304000/4304853.stm. 
  8. ↑ Osman, Hiwa (March 17, 2002). "Iraqi Kurds recall chemical attack". BBC News. https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/1877161.stm. 
  9. ↑ "Whatever Happened To The Iraqi Kurds?". Human Rights Watch. March 11, 1991. https://www.hrw.org/legacy/reports/1991/IRAQ913.htm. 
  10. ↑ Moradi, Faraidoun; Söderberg, Mia; Moradi, Fazil; Daka, Bledar; Olin, Anna-Carin; Lärstad, Mona (2019-06-21). "Health perspectives among Halabja's civilian survivors of sulfur mustard exposure with respiratory symptoms—A qualitative study" (in en). PLOS ONE 14 (6). doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0218648. ISSN 1932-6203. PMID 31226143. 
  11. ↑ "Facts About Cyanide". Centers for Disease Control. http://www.bt.cdc.gov/agent/cyanide/basics/facts.asp. 
  12. ↑ "Iraq events – Chemical warfare". BBC News. https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/middle_east/02/iraq_events/html/chemical_warfare.stm. 
  13. ↑ Hirst, David (March 22, 1988). "The Kurdish victims caught unaware by cyanide". The Guardian (London). https://www.theguardian.com/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1251881,00.html. 
  14. ↑ AK News, 1 March 2010
  15. ↑ Dagher, Sam. Uprooted for Decades, Iraqi Kurds Long for Home. Halabja Taza Journal. NY Times, 3 September 2009
  16. ↑ "Mohammad, Susan. Revisiting the horror of Halabja. The Ottawa Citizen, 22 October 2007". canada.com. http://www2.canada.com/ottawacitizen/quest/story.html?id=bfabd6c7-6bf6-4235-ba50-9309d26a55d4. 
  17. ↑ "BBC NEWS – Middle East – Kurdish clash at Halabja memorial". bbc.co.uk. 16 March 2006. https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4812128.stm. 
  18. ↑ "International Airport to be built in Halabja town ( K Sat)". Independent Kurdistan Journalism. 2008-07-16. https://independentkurdistanjournalism.blogspot.com/2008/07/international-airport-to-be-built-in.html. 
  19. ↑ "M 7.3 - 30km SW of Halabjah, Iraq". https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us2000bmcg. 
  20. ↑ https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/2025/04/14/iraq-declares-halabja-scene-of-saddams-gas-attack-on-kurds-as-19th-province/
  21. ↑ "Climate statistics for Halabja". Bureau of Meteorology. https://en.climate-data.org/location/47960/. 
  22. ↑ Tuncer, Bülent (2013). Geographical Features of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Erbil: Kurdish Studies. p. 112. 
  23. ↑ "Halabja, Guernica set to become sister cities". 15 September 2023. https://www.kurdistan24.net/en/story/32584-Halabja,-Guernica-set-to-become-sister-cities. 

[ ⚑ ] 35°11′N 45°59′E / 35.183°N 45.983°E / 35.183; 45.983



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