23 more survivors in critical condition
Halabja chemical attack survivor dies
HALABJA— A survivor of the Halabja chemical attack, Sabah Ahmed, aged 67, died on Saturday due to long-term complications related to the exposure, marking the second victim to succumb in the past ten days.
The chemical attack on March 16, 1988, part of the Anfal genocide against the Kurds by the Iraqi government during the rule of Saddam Hussein, caused over 5,000 deaths and left more than 10,000 injured.
Luqman Abdulqader, head of the Halabja Chemical Victims Society, told 964media that Ahmed suffered from severe kidney and respiratory failures. His conditions were deteriorating over the last three months, getting progressively worse day by day despite receiving multiple treatments.
Abdulqadir said that Ahmed’s death follows a similar case just days prior, where a woman, Rahma Saeed Faraj, also died due to similar health issues caused by the chemical weapons used in the attack.
Abdulqader emphasized that currently, 23 other victims are in unstable health conditions and they are deteriorating by the day.
According to records, a total of 808 individuals are officially recognized as victims of the chemical attacks across the Kurdistan Region, with the majority suffering from chronic conditions affecting their eyes and respiratory systems.
Since 2003, the death toll among these victims has reached 119.
Halabja, now officially recognized as a governorate by the KRG, is situated near the Iran border, roughly 83 kilometers southeast of Sulaymaniyah.