Sheikh Al-Khazali recalls the Anfal massacre and stresses the need to preserve national memory and achieve justice for the victims.

The General Secretary of the Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq, His Eminence Sheikh Qais Khazali, recalled on Monday, the Anfal genocide perpetrated by Saddam’s Ba’athist regime against the Iraqi people in the north of the country. He emphasized the need to keep these crimes alive in the memory of future generations and to continue working to achieve justice for the victims and their families.
His Eminence said in a post on the “X” platform on the occasion of the anniversary of the crime: “On such days, one of the most heinous crimes committed against humanity comes back to Iraq’s memory, when the Baathist Saddam regime unleashed the machine of death on the people of this nation, reaping the lives of thousands in the Anfal crime that targeted innocents in the cities of northern Iraq, indicating that Anfal was more than a military campaign, but rather an open ethnic cleansing, whose chapters were written with poison gases, mass graves, and maps from which entire villages were erased”.
His Eminence added, “Today we commemorate the crime to remind future generations of the ugliness of that regime and its true face, which knew no mercy. We must prove that memory is stronger than attempts at obliteration, and that justice, even if delayed, remains a moral and national duty that does not expire with the passage of time”.
His Eminence also referred to the efforts exerted by the state in this regard, noting that in recent years, the relevant leaders in Baghdad have taken real steps towards redressing the victims of the crimes of the former regime, through laws compensating martyrs, rebuilding affected areas, and establishing official recognition that what happened constituted a crime of genocide.
His Eminence concluded by saying: “On this anniversary, we can only bow in reverence to the pure souls, and show all loyalty to the people of Halabja, who affirmed that rising up after genocide is the highest form of victory”.