President Masoud Barzani on Wednesday commemorated the victims of the chemical attack carried out by the former Iraqi regime against Kurdish civilians in Balisan Valley, Sheikh Wasanan, and the Khushnawati Valley on April 16, 1987.

In a statement marking the 39th anniversary of the attack, Barzani described the incident as one of the many crimes committed against the Kurdish people by the former Iraqi regime. The assault involved the use of chemical weapons against civilian areas, resulting in the deaths and injuries of many innocent residents.

Barzani said the attack represented the beginning of a broader campaign in which chemical weapons were used against Kurdish civilians, forming part of a wider policy of extermination against the people of Kurdistan.

He also noted that the regime did not stop at the bombing itself. According to the statement, dozens of victims who survived the chemical attack were later arrested and buried alive in a brutal act that further deepened the tragedy.

On the anniversary of the attack, Barzani paid tribute to those who lost their lives and expressed solidarity with their families.

“We honor the souls of the martyrs of this catastrophe and express our solidarity with their families and loved ones,” the statement read.

Barzani emphasized that the Kurdish people will never forget the painful memory of the crime and the many tragedies endured by the people of Kurdistan, adding that these events will remain permanently in the collective memory of the nation.

The chemical attack on Balisan and Sheikh Wasanan occurred a year before the notorious Halabja chemical attack, which also targeted Kurdish civilians with chemical weapons during the final years of the Iran–Iraq war.