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TheHalabja chemical attack(Kurdish:Kêmyabarana Helebce کمیابارانی ھەڵەبجە), also known as theHalabja MassacreorBloody Friday,[1]was a massacre ofKurdish peoplethat took place on 16 March 1988, during the closing days of theIran–Iraq Warin the Kurdish city ofHalabjainIraqi Kurdistan. The attack was part of theAl-Anfal CampaigninKurdistan, as well as part of theIraqi Army's attempt to repel the IranianOperation Zafar 7. It took place 48 hours after the capture of the town by theIranian Army. AUnited Nations(UN) medical investigation concluded thatmustard gaswas used in the attack, along with unidentified nerve agents.[2]
Halabja chemical attackPart ofAl-Anfal CampaignandOperation Zafar 7
(during theIran–Iraq War)Date16 March 1988Location
35°11N45°59E
Halabja,Iraqi Kurdistan
Result
Baathist Iraq victory.
The Kurdish residents of the town temporarily abandon Halabja.
The town is destroyed by Iraqi forces
BelligerentsIraqIran
PUK
KDPCasualties and losses3,200–5,000 killed
7,000–10,000 injured
The incident was the largest chemical weapons attack directed against a civilian-populated area in history,[3]killing between 3,200 and 5,000 people and injuring 7,000 to 10,000 more, most of them civilians.[1][4]Preliminary results from surveys of the affected region showed an increased rate ofcancerandbirth defectsin the years afterward.[5]
