On the 37th anniversary of the Hapabja chemical attack, the Vice President of Kurdistan Region, Sheikh Jaffar Sheikh Mustafa, issued a statement, calling for the recognition of the catastrophe as a genocide.
"Today marks the 37th anniversary of the chemical attack in the city of Halabja، and it is with the utmost respect and dignity that we commemorate this catastrophic and inhumane attack." Sheikh Jaffar said.
He pointed out, "On March 16,1988 the Ba'ath regime sacrificed 5,000 innocent souls in front of the whole world. The pain of Halabja is an unending pain and a wound that has not healed in the hearts of all of us, and this crime has no other definition than the genocide and ethnic cleansing of the Kurdish nation."
He also added "It is a matter of great regret and concern that after many years of liberating Iraq from the hands of oppression, there is no real and legal plan or step against the humanitarian catastrophe of the city of Halabja and its recognition as a genocide crime."