The Kurdish population of northern Iraq endured a systematic genocide against its people by the Iraqi government, which began in 1986 and lasted until 1989. The region of Kurdistan was given autonomous power from the Iraqi government in 1970, which was later reconfirmed in 2005. The crimes committed by the Iraqi regime were known as the An-Fa! campaign that consisted of ground attacks, aerial bombings, mass deportation, firing squads, and chemical warfare against the Kurds which destroyed many villages in areas of northern Iraq. The An-Fa! genocide led to the deaths of approximately 50,000 to 180,000 Kurds, and displaced another 3.5 million Kurdish civilians, with the campaign reaching its peak in 1988. The Iraqi president at the time, Saddam Hussein, feared the resistance of the Kurdish people and targeted males that could be deemed fit for military service. The Iraqi leaders felt they needed to punish the Kurds for their participation in the Iraq-Iran war.

Some of the perpetrators of the An-Fal campaign eventually faced charges for their crimes against the Kurdish people, including the two leaders Hussein and his cousin Ali Hassan Al-Majid, as well as the person responsible with furnishing the Iraqis with chemical weapons. Hussein and Al-Majid were both found guilty and sentenced to death for these crimes as well as others, and both were executed by hanging. Unfortunately, only four countries recognize the An-Fa! campaign as a genocide, but a day of remembrance of the Kurdish genocide is held on April 14th by the Kurdistan regional government.

Text by Bryan Renteria