ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Masoud Barzani, President of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), delivered a powerful and emotional address on Monday commemorating the 37th anniversary of the Anfal genocide's devastating campaign in the Badinan region, recalling it as the most painful period of his life while demanding long-overdue justice for the victims.

Speaking through his representative, Sidad Barzani, at a solemn ceremony, the Kurdish leader remembered August 25, 1988, as "a bitter day in the history of the Kurdish people" when Saddam Hussein's regime escalated its final solution against the Kurds.

Barzani detailed how the Ba'athist regime "mobilized all its military, intelligence, and air forces" in a comprehensive assault designed to "erase all traces of life" in Badinan. His address highlighted not just the scale of the violence but the courageous resistance of the besieged population.

In one of the most poignant moments of his speech, Barzani revealed historical correspondence from the time, quoting local resistance leaders who declared: "The besieged masses say they are ready to die here, but they will not surrender." The KDP leader characterized this defiance as "a source of pride for every Kurd and freedom fighter," before adding, "No incident has caused me as much sorrow as this crime."

Thirty-seven years after the atrocities, Barzani pointedly questioned the lack of accountability, asking: "What has become of the perpetrators of these crimes? Have they been held accountable?" He emphasized the Iraqi government's ongoing responsibility to compensate the families of Anfal victims in Badinan and across all Kurdish territories affected by the genocide.

The former Kurdish president concluded by stressing continued efforts to locate and repatriate the remains of the thousands of victims who were forcibly disappeared during the campaign, affirming that the memory of Anfal would remain an open wound until full justice is achieved.

The Badinan campaign, part of the broader Anfal genocide orchestrated by Saddam Hussein's cousin Ali Hassan al-Majid ("Chemical Ali"), resulted in the disappearance and murder of an estimated 2,000-3,000 Kurdish men and women from the Duhok region in northern Iraq.