SULAIMANI (ESTA) — Fifty-three patients exposed to chemical weapons in Halabja province will be sent to Iran for treatment, authorities said on Monday.
Around 5,000 people, mostly women and children, were killed when the former regime of Saddam Hussein unleashed a cocktail of deadly gas on Halabja on March 16, 1988.
The genocide was one of many horrific crimes committed by the Baath regime under Saddam Hussein’s dictatorship against the Kurdistan Region’s people.
A significant percentage of the population has developed multiple chronic health conditions as a result of exposure to the toxic substances used.
The attack still haunts Halabja as its residents, now estimated at around 200,000, still fight for justice, care for the ill and hunt for missing relatives.
The directorate of health in Halabja said in a statement that 53 patients exposed to chemical weapons would be sent to Iran in the coming days to receive treatment.
“There were obstacles but our efforts in coordination with the government’s representative was productive,” the directorate added.
