The genocide of the Barzanis is not merely a sad and dark page in the history books of the Kurdish people; rather, it is a deeply profound, unhealable, and bloody psychological wound within the soul of all humanity and the conscience of the world. On July 31, 1983, the defunct Ba'ath regime, through a premeditated and chauvinistic plan, committed an unprecedented and massive crime against humanity and the Kurdish nation.

This dark tragedy was not an accidental occurrence, but rather the beginning of a fateful and sinister series of operations known as the "Anfal." The primary objective of the Baghdad regime in this atrocity was physical extermination, uprooting the origins, and destroying the identity, strength, and mountain-like will of the Kurdish people in the heart of Kurdistan's geography.

The Beginning of the Tragedy (July 31, 1983)

In a dark, cold, and silent morning, while towns and residential complexes were still under the slumber of peace, the barbaric forces of the Ba'ath regime—equipped with hundreds of armored vehicles, tanks, and thousands of armed soldiers—completely encircled the settlement areas of the Barzanis, particularly complexes such as Qushtapa, Bahirka, Harir, and Diana.

In this mass abduction process, without any distinction between infants, working youth, and powerless elders, 8,000 Barzani girls, boys, men, and community leaders were forcibly dragged from the heart of their families and abducted.

These 8,000 souls were transported like prisoners of war in enclosed military vehicles toward the hot deserts of southern Iraq—specifically the hells of Nugrat Salman and Arar—without any understanding, trial, or legal process.

Crimes of Genocide (Racial Extermination)

This crime was prepared on an organized, planned, and ideological basis to eradicate all dimensions of life in Duhok, Erbil, and Barzan:

1. Buried Alive in the Heart of the Desert

Those 8,000 oceans of emotion, faith, and willpower—instead of being nourished on the soil of their own mountains—were buried alive in mass graves under the scorching heat of the southern desert. In the solitude and thirst of the desert, they took their final breath in silence, without even a shroud of cloth or a headstone over their graves.

2. Social and Economic Punishment (The Legacy of Barzani Mothers)

Leaving behind 8,000 fatherless and husbandless households was a massive social blow. Barzani women, mothers, and sisters carried an immensely heavy and difficult responsibility alone:

• They managed their households single-handedly, fulfilling the dual roles of both father and mother.
• While their husbands were buried alive in the desert, the Barzani mothers, despite immense economic hardship and psychological and military pressure from the Ba'ath, never broke the chain of dignity.
• Through relentless hard work and maintaining their honor, they did not allow the fire of their homes to extinguish, raising a new generation based on national identity and principles.

3. Cultural Destruction and the Attempt to Eradicate Heritage

Through this abduction and crime, the Ba'ath regime intended to completely kill and erase the cultural geography and resilient spirit of the Barzan region. However, the folkloric and cultural resistance, alongside the unwavering faith of their wives and mothers, buried this enemy dream in the hearts of the occupiers and darkened the political face of the Ba'ath party.

Consequences and Impact on the Kurdish Cause

The enemies of the Kurdish people used the tragedy of the Barzanis in 1983 as an experimental "bridge" to execute much larger and more extensive Anfal operations in 1988, which resulted in atrocities such as the Anfal of Garmiyan, Badinan, and the chemical attack on Halabja.

However, through the continuous struggle and dedication of our people, alongside the documentation efforts of Kurdish authorities, this crime was officially recognized at the international level and by the Iraqi High Criminal Court as "Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity," leading to the conviction of the perpetrators.