World Bulletin / News Desk 

Today marks the 27th anniversary of the Halabja Massacre on March 16, 1988 in which more than 5 thousand people lost their lives.

On March 16 the massacre is remembered every year.

Thousands of civilians were killed in the chemical bombing attack organized on Halabja by the Iraqi army.

The victims of the Halabja Massacre are remembered every year through various activities in cities in northern Iraq with a Kurdish population.

The rope with which Ali Hasan al-Majid , Saddam Hussein's cousin who ordered the ordered the bombing of Halabja and was nicknamed “Chemical Ali,” was executed by hanging was brought to the Memorial Museum in Halapja.

In memory of the massacre’s anniversary, life stopped for five minutes in the Iraqi Kurdistan capital of Erbil. As citizens stopped in place out of respect when the sirens were heard, vehicles also stopped in traffic.
The over five thousand people who lost their lives in the chemical bombing attacks 27 years ago were commemorated.

THE MASSACRE

It has been 27 years since the massacre that took place in the Kurdish town of Halabja in Iraqi Kurdistan during the Saddam Hussein, who headed Iraq's Baathists. On March 16, 1988, Halabja became the scene of the largest-scale chemical attack on a civilian population in history.

That morning, Iraqi warplanes flew over the city and dropped chemical bombs on the thousands of unsuspecting people living there.

Nearly 5,000 people died immediately as a result of the chemical attack, and it has been estimated that a further 7,000 were injured or suffered long-term illnesses.

It seems to have occurred too far in the distant past to be remembered by those who are unfamiliar with this region, remaining a mere fact in a history book; however, it remains an ongoing pain for the people of the region.

Every person in Halabja has a sad story to tell and has lost at least one friend or relative. Most Halabjans say they experienced the apocalypse on March 16, 1988, when every soul struggled for his or her life.

Children ran for shelter; some tried to flee the town only to die half way; mothers carried their children in their arms; fathers rushed towards safety -- but there was no safe haven. Those who managed to escape suffered burnt skin, skin malformations or were diagnosed with cancer. Pictures taken right after the massacre depict the chaos and support the apocalypse simile.