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1988: The Halabja Massacre
11.9.2006
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The
history of the Saddam Hussein's poison gas attack,
with the complicity of the West, in the working
class stronghold of Halabja.
Genocide against Kurds on Videotape,
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Eyewitness in Halabja
On March 13, 1988, the city of Halabja in Iraqi
Kurdistan was almost completely destroyed by the
Iraqi armed forces using chemical weapons, supplied
by the West. Around 5,000 people were killed at the
time and many more more died from their injuries
over the next few weeks. Halabja was not chosen
arbitrarily as the site for such a massacre. It had
been a major site of proletarian struggle against
the Iran-Iraq war - in which the US had backed Iraq.
There was at least one deserter in every house, and
sometimes four or five. The following is a summary
of translations of letters and articles we have
seen, written by comrades living in Halabja before
and during the massacre. As the account speaks for
itself, we see no need to elaborate.
Social Conditions
During 1987 the Iraqi government destroyed 45
villages around Halabja, using explosives to
completely demolish all the houses. The inhabitants
poured into Halabja, swelling the population to
around 110,000. Almost all the young men in these
villages had been deserters from the army. They were
not just dropping out of the war but were always
discussing ways of doing something against it.
The influx of people led to a severe housing
shortage and there were no jobs for most people.
Shops were selling virtually nothing apart from
maybe rice and bread - fruit, vegetables and meat
were far too expensive for most. All the time there
was talk amongst the unemployed about what to do
about the war. Only the rich wanted to fight for
their country. Many people were selling their
possessions because of the insecure conditions. This
enabled the rich to get richer by buying people's TV
sets, fridges, etc. and selling them in other
cities.
Political Organisations
The only sizeable bourgeois political organisation
taken seriously by the deserters was the Iraqi
Communist Party (CP). All the other organisations
and parties, in particular the Kurdish nationalists
(the largest of which was the Kurdish Democratic
Party), were totally discredited because of their
open collaboration with the state. Both the KDP and
the CP tended to tail-end everything the deserters
did. The CP, however, had greater credibility
because it gave more support to the deserters than
anyone else and was the only organisation to say
that sooner or later the government would attack
Halabja and that people had to prepare for this. The
CP needed to wipe out the bad reputation it accrued
by joining the Ba'athist government in 1974.
There were also dozens of small organisations, many
claiming to be communist, with names like "the
Marxist Leninist Workers' Party" , "the Leninist
Marxist Group" , etc. etc.. They produced lots of
leaflets and graffiti on walls.
Someone living in Halabja produced a pamphlet about
the condition of the deserters which was very
critical of the Kurdish nationalists. A week later
he was killed. The place was in chaos. The "traitors
and troublemakers were all going around legitimately
within the structure of pro-government organisations.
H. had a gun, as well as valid documents. Can you
believe it?"
Armed Forces
Since the end of 1986/beginning of 1987, three types
of army had existed in Halabja in addition to the
Iraqi army proper. These were:
a) Clan Armies - Around Halabja there had
traditionally been five main family/tribal groupings
and many more small ones. During the war the feeling
of belonging to one clan or another had become much
stronger amongst the population. The government set
about trying to integrate deserters back into the
armed forces of the state by paying clan leaders
(big land owners who had become capitalists) 50,000
Dinar per month plus lots of weapons, flash cars
etc. to round up deserters from their own clan and
put them under military discipline.
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Blind Kurdish child after the chemical attack of
Halabaja in Kurdistan-Iraq
Chemical attacks against Kurds
Chemical attacks against Kurds
Death zone after chemical attacks. |
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There was very fierce competition between the clan
armies as the leaders vied for more "recruits" and
thus more money from the government. This led to
many gun fights on the streets, and even in cafes
and shops. When people spoke about "war" in Halabja
they meant the wars between the clan armies, and
between the latter and the deserters, not the war
between Iran and Iraq.
b) The Home Guard - This was by far the largest
army. It was not uniformed and had very few weapons.
It was the army that deserters joined purely because
there was a law that everyone who had deserted had
to have ID saying that they had joined an army. The
Home Guard can be seen as a way of legalising
desertion in the same way as the "Right to Strike"
legalised the strike weapon. S. Hussein even spoke
about a "Right to Desert ".
c) The Bounty Hunters - This was a small force which
acted with extreme viciousness on behalf of the
state. Their main function was to force deserters to
join the Home Guard. They were always checking
people's ID and had a legal right to kill anyone who
didn't have any. They were paid 1000 Dinar for
bringing someone to a police station alive, and 500
Dinar for their head. They killed a lot of poor
people just to get money. They might take someone's
head to a police station claiming that they had
killed him at the border and that he was a Pasdar
(Iranian Revolutionary Guard). After the massacre
most of these scum went to Iran to do the same job
for the Iranian state.
There were very close links between the leaders of
the clan armies, the bounty hunters, Kurdish
nationalist organisations and local businessmen.
The May '87 Uprising
All the talk about stopping the government from
destroying Halabja turned to action on 13 May 1987
when militants occupied the mosques and used the
loudspeakers to call for the organisation of an
uprising. Mosques were used because they were the
most suitable buildings in which to hold mass
meetings. This was ironic because for weeks before
the priests had been giving a special talk after
each Friday prayer meeting on... the evils of
communist subversion! Almost the whole working clan
population of Halabja was awake that night
discussing and organising.
Many people had weapons; these were mostly those who
had been in the clan armies (double deserters!). All
ages were involved and women as well as men.
Everybody was saying "The soldiers are our brothers
it is Saddam who is the enemy!" . Iraqi Army troops
came to Halabja. They said, more or less, "We've
been sent to kill you but we won't do it. But please
disperse." The crowd refused to disperse and
persuaded most of the soldiers to join the
rebellion.
The helicopters were accompanied by tanks. Some of
the rebels fired at the tanks, then the helicopter
fired rockets into the crowd. People fled. Jordanian
troops then invaded the town killing hundreds of
people. A few days later 200 people were rounded up,
some dragged from hospitals, and buried alive. Five
days after the rebellion had started the government
totally destroyed the area where it had happened.
They also booby-trapped empty houses nearby leading
to many more deaths.
Many people fled to Iran in small groups but the
Peshmargan (Kurdish nationalist guerillas) tried to
stop them from leaving, saying they would 'liberate'
Halabja. This didn't stop the nationalists helping
rich people and mullahs to leave, in return for
money. Every day helicopters came to tell people to
be calm. They said Halabja would not be destroyed.
Over the next few weeks there were rebellions in 4
or 5 other Kurdish cities. The government closed the
mosques and cut off their electricity to stop then
being used like they were in Halabja.
The Governor's Visit
The governor of Suliamaniyah (the nearest Kurdish
big city) came to Halabja and made a speech. He
said: "Halabja is one of the cities in Iraq which
has made many sacrifices throughout history.
President Hussein himself has a special concern for
Halabja and the people who spread rumours about
Halabja being destroyed are your enemies and enemies
of the state."
Someone in the crowd shouted "What did you do with
those 200 people, we want them back!" . The governor
said "Goodbye, see you next time".
The Build-Up
Shortly before the massacre, deserters took over
Sirwan (a town about 20 km from Halabja) using
weapons from the clan armies. No Kurdish nationalist
organisations were involved but the CP was to some
extent. Soon afterwards, the Iraqi Airforce totally
destroyed the town with bombs and rockets.
Two weeks before the massacre clan leaders and army
officers were secretly moved to Suliamaniyah. Iraqi
soldiers suspected something was up and many gave
away their arms to deserters in the streets before
fleeing to Suliamaniyah.
Many poor people were trying to leave for Iran but
the Peshmargan sent them back, as before they helped
the rich. Shortly before the massacre Halabja was
bombed for three days by Iran and then occupied by
the Pasdaran. The Peshmargan helped direct the
Iranian bombing (perhaps because they wanted to get
rid of the Iraqi military) and after the occupation
helped the Pasdaran to keep everyone in Halabja. At
the same time they moved their own families to Iran.
The Massacre
On 13 March 1988 chemical bombs were dropped on
Halabja. No Pasdaran nor Peshmargan were killed. The
Iranian soldiers had left on the day before or on
the morning of the massacre. The Peshmargan
continued to surround the city. Some had gas masks.
At least three different gases were used: mustard
gas, nerve gas and something that made people crazy
(they tore off their clothes, laughed for a while
and then dropped dead). Around 8000 died
immediately.
Even after the massacre the Peshmargan would not let
people leave. They looted homes and raped women.
After a week or so, many people went blind or
insane. Many just gave up the will to live.
After the Massacre: Life in the Refugee Camps in
Iran
Many thousands of survivors ended up in refugee
camps in Iran where they are not allowed any contact
with the Iranian population. The CP still has some
support amongst the refugees but when the Peshmargan
came to the camps to try to recruit they were chased
out with stones.
Camps are run like the military. Everything
organised in such a way that people cannot have
contact with each other. If you don't stay in your
allocated place you run the risk of being locked up
without food. Special passes are required for
leaving the camps. These are very difficult to get.
We are still conscripts. All those born between 1945
and 1970 join the army, the rest go to the reserve
army.
Reprisals and Resettlement
If an Iraqi soldier is killed in a particular area,
the state orders the flattening of a number of
houses, and executes 5 or 6 young people in public
as a warning.
Many people from Halabja with no relatives in
Baghdad or Suliamarxia were sent to "empty zones"
near the border with Saudi Arabia. Escape from these
zones is impossible because you die of thirst before
reaching the nearest town. The Iraqi government has
started to rebuild Halabja. They intend to bring
more people from Arab villages in the South to
Halabja. These were people who also fought the state
during the war.
Published in Wildcat no.13, summer/autumn 1989
libcom org
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