Many survivors of the Iraqi chemical attack on Halabja, a Kurdish city in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) 33 years ago on 16 March 1988, still suffer. All recall the beautiful spring day when Iraqi fighter jets appeared in the sky and started bombing the city. Survivors describe thick smoke covering the area and the nice 'sweet apple' smell which was so tempting to inhale. They report witnessing many who died within a few minutes, some laughing from the effects of the gas, and many others who later died 'first burning and blistering or coughing up green vomit' from the deadly 'lethal cocktail of mustard gas and the nerve agents Tabun, Sarin and VX' (HRW1991; BBC News 2010). More than 5,000 died and about 10,000, mostly women and children, were injured and crossed the border fleeing to Iran (BBC New 1988). Families died all together and neighbourhoods were wiped out completely. The level of destruction was so massive that until now it is challenging to overcome the trauma and re-establish the community to offer a normal life to the survivors. At present, 76 families are still searching for their 142 lost children mainly in Iran, of which only eight have been found so far through DNA testing since the attack (Rudaw 2021a, 2021b).
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