Peregraf
Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein announced at a press conference today that a government delegation has been sent to Iran to follow up on the longstanding issue of missing children from the Kurdish city of Halabja, who disappeared during the 1988 chemical attack carried out by the former Ba'athist regime.
The delegation’s mission is to cooperate with Iranian authorities and seek new information that could help locate the missing children. “We have sent a team to Iran to search for the missing from Halabja and establish communication regarding their whereabouts,” said Hussein.
A previous investigation by Peregraf revealed conflicting statistics between organizations and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) concerning the number of families who fled to Iran during the chemical attack and subsequently lost their children.
According to the KRG’s Ministry of Martyrs and Anfal Victims, there are currently about 75 families with missing children, and the total number of unaccounted-for children from Halabja exceeds 200. Meanwhile, the Halabja Victims Association, which has been investigating these cases for years, reports that eight children have been successfully reunited with their families. Additionally, five others have identified themselves as possible survivors, but their cases remain unresolved.
The chemical attack on Halabja on March 16, 1988, led to the deaths of over 5,000 civilians, with thousands more injured or displaced — many of them women and children. While survivors continue to suffer from the physical and psychological effects of the attack, the mystery surrounding the fate of the missing children remains one of its most painful legacies.
Every year, on the anniversary of the tragedy, the people of Halabja remember their loved ones. For the families of the missing children, the day reopens old wounds and renews hopes that one day they might find answers — or reunite with the children they lost decades ago.