:b) the widespread use of chemical weapons, including mustard gas and the nerve agent GB, or sarin, against the town of Halabja as well as dozens of Kurdish villages, killing many thousands of people, mainly women and children;
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Writer Joost R. Hiltermann has said the United States government and U.S. State Department was particularly important in helping their then ally the Saddam Hussein government in avoiding any serious censure for the campaign and in particular the attack on rebels and civilians in the city of Halabja.
Ansar al-Islam and its allied groups seized control of the area around Halabja from the PUK in late 2001.
Halabja |
Halabja, which is located approximately 150 miles northeast of Baghdad and 8–10 miles from the Iranian border, was significantly damaged with casualties estimated to be around 5,000.