Originally published by the Voice of America (www.voanews.com).
Voice of America is funded by the US Federal Government and content it
exclusively produces is in the public domain.
March 16, 2008

Iraqi Kurds Mark 20th Anniversary of Halabja Poison Gas Attack
--------------------------------------------------------------

http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=1B8FE7A:A6F02AD83191E160248D4CD44A092CB121A4E82C900CD027& Saddam Hussein's
forces killed 5,000 Kurdish villagers on March 16, 1988 to crush
dissent in northern Iraq's Kurdish regions





A man sits in a graveyard where the dead of the 1988 gas attack on
Halabja, Iraq, were laid to rest (File) 

Iraqi Kurds are marking the 20th anniversary of a chemical weapons
attack by Saddam Hussein's forces that killed five-thousand Kurdish
villagers.

Saddam's government ordered the poison gas attack on Halabja on March
16th, 1988, as part of a campaign against Iraqi Kurds known as Anfal.

Villagers gathered in Halabja Sunday to mourn the dead and demand
compensation for survivors still suffering from the effects of the
poison gas. Community leaders also called for the execution of those
responsible.

An Iraqi court has sentenced Ali Hassan al-Majid to death for
overseeing the killings of 180-thousand Kurds in the 1980s.  The use
of poison gas in the attacks earned Majid the nickname "Chemical Ali".

Iraq's presidential council approved Majid's execution last month, but
his hanging has been delayed by legal disputes.

Iraqi Kurdistan deputy prime minister Omar Fatah accused the
international community of staying silent after the Halabja attack to
maintain good relations with Saddam. He was speaking today in Halabja
at a memorial ceremony.

Fatah also says authorities plan to build a $12-million hospital in
the area to treat survivors of the gas attacks and research the
biological impact of chemical weapons.




.