A morning where fog, gas and screams mixed together… Time seemed to freeze on March 16, 1988, in Halabja, one of the border cities of the Kurdistan Region. The bombs that fell from the sky that day buried not only a city but thousands of lives in silence.

 

In the attack that went down in history as the Halabja Massacre, chemical gases dropped by the regime of Iraq turned the streets into an open cemetery within a few hours. In the chemical attack carried out in Halabja near the Iran border, between 3,200 and 5,000 civilians—mostly women and children—lost their lives, while 10,000 others were injured. The attack was recorded as one of the largest chemical attacks in history against a civilian settlement.

 

Now 52 years old, Kalswme Huseyn survived the massacre at the age of 14 by taking shelter with her family in the basement of a mosque. Describing the massacre, she says: “That day never ended.” Having lost hundreds of relatives, family members and acquaintances, she still lives in Halabja today. Kalswme Huseyn says she startles at the slightest sound, sometimes cannot sleep, and her whole body trembles.

 

WITNESS TO THE MASSACRE AT 14

 

Explaining that she was still a child when the massacre took place, Kalswme Huseyn said: “I was 14 years old when the Halabja Massacre happened. I was with my mother and my brother. My aunt and her children lost their lives in the massacre. Five more members of my family were also killed. Before the massacre, there was artillery fire from the Iranian side every day. That night was Laylat al-Bara'at. When the shelling intensified, my mother woke up and went to my brother’s house to wake him up. She told him, ‘Wake up, Halabja is being bombed from all sides, what is this?’ My brother told her, ‘Iran is attacking.’ We got up and went to the basement of a mosque. We hid there. It was spring at the time; everywhere was decorated with flowers. Halabja had a very beautiful landscape. But later everything was covered in dust and smoke. That image is still in my memory.”

 

‘EVERYONE WAS CRYING OUT IN THE MORNING’

 

Kalswme Huseyn said they left Halabja in the morning and reached a mountainous area where many people had gathered to hide. “We reached a mountainous place in the morning. I saw that everyone had gathered there and was sitting and hiding. It was morning and everyone was crying out together. We covered our faces to protect ourselves from chemical gas. We wore thick clothes one on top of another. The children’s faces were also covered; mothers were hiding them under their arms,” she said.

 

‘BLUE RAIN WAS FALLING FROM THE SKY’

 

Kalswme Huseyn said it rained continuously for three days. “It rained without stopping for three days. We were not yet in despair, but the elders were saying, ‘Blue rain is coming.’ They were older and understood that this was not normal rain; it was like a warning. They knew that when Iraq attacked somewhere, rain would fall. But many people did not know this. No one knew what was going to happen to us,” she said.

 

BOMBARDMENT AND ESCAPE TO THE MOUNTAINS

 

Kalswme Huseyn said that when they approached the village of Shirvan, they saw artillery fire from the Iraqi army and added: “The Iraqi soldiers could not advance, so they were bombarding from all sides so that no one could enter the city. Iraq understood that it had lost Halabja and wanted to completely destroy it.”

 

They prepared to go toward Hawraman, but planes returned and the bombing started again. “That moment and those wounds remain in my heart today just like the first day,” she said.

 

‘CHILDREN WERE CRYING IN FEAR’

 

Describing the fear during the bombardment, Kalswme Huseyn said: “After seeing the bombs, families gathered around the children. A great fear fell into our hearts. Everything was shaking. People were running in every direction to save themselves. We could no longer go back to Halabja, so the mountains became the safest place for us.”

 

She said planes kept circling overhead during their escape. “The planes were above us all the time; their sound never stopped. Children were crying from fear and could no longer walk. In that chaos and rain, the situation was getting worse. But we were still trying to escape the bombs.”

 

RETURN TO HALABJA

 

Kalswme Huseyn said they returned to Halabja in 1991: “But even after we returned, many people lost their lives. Everything was contaminated with chemical substances. People went to their lands and gardens, but they did not know the soil was poisoned. That is why many people died,” she said.

 

‘DOCUMENTS WERE DESTROYED’

 

Kalswme Huseyn said Halabja was not protected even after such a large massacre. “Many documents proving that Ba'ath Party forces used chemical weapons were destroyed. Many documents disappeared. That is why the Ba’ath Party was not tried. No serious services were carried out for Halabja either. No matter what people do, such a great tragedy cannot be forgotten. The hearts of the people of Halabja still hurt,” she said.

 

‘WHY IS TURKEY OPENING SCHOOLS IN HALABJA?’

 

Kalswme Huseyn said attacks continued after Halabja and added: “Sometimes people say, ‘I wish it had only been Halabja.’ But unfortunately, after Halabja the Kurdish people were under bombardment for nine days. Bombardments and chemical attacks continued throughout Kurdistan. Halabja became the beginning of a great genocide.”

 

She said: “Now there is another danger over Halabja. It is no longer only military hostility; influence is also being created through schools. The state of Turkey is opening schools in Halabja. We must ask: why is the Turkish government opening schools here? Today the children of Halabja speak Turkish. Halabja is the identity of the Kurds; it is the symbol of our resistance.”

 

‘WARPLANES ARE STILL ABOVE US’

 

Kalswme Huseyn said Halabja, located near the Iranian border, still faces similar threats today. “Even today we face the same kind of threat. Every day warplanes from United States, Israel and Iran fly in the sky. The sound of these planes has a very bad effect on people,” she said.

 

Kalswme Huseyn concluded: “150 people from my own family alone lost their lives. When I hear even the smallest sound, I still startle. When such a sound comes, my whole body trembles. This is not in my hands. That fear has still not passed.” 

 

MA / Zeynep Durgut