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Exclusive Anfal survivors blast KDP for harbouring Saddam’s genocidal collaborators

SURVIVORS of dictator Saddam Hussein’s genocidal campaigns, in which nearly 200,000 Kurds were massacred, accused the ruling party in Iraqi Kurdistan today of harbouring war crime collaborators.

They were angered over a statement by Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) official Kakamin Najar, in which he explained many of those who played a role in the atrocities are still living in Iraqi Kurdistan.

“These criminals now live in Kurdistan and are allegedly remorseful for participating in genocide crimes against our people,” Hawre Peshwar told the Morning Star.  

“But while many have been named as criminals in the courts they have escaped punishment. They have not formally confessed to their crimes and have not apologised,” he added.

Mr Peshwar, who is the secretary of the Anfal Memorial Campaign, said that the news “made it clear for the first time that Kurdistan has become a haven for the protection of war criminals.”

“He [Mr Najar] is proud that they are free and have not been arrested while Kurdistan is under their [KDP] control. 

“Kakamin Najar’s party has been sheltering the Anfal criminals for 33 years,” he said.

“These criminals should be arrested and brought before a court because they have committed war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide,” Mr Peshwar added.

Named after a sura in the Koran, around 182,000 Kurds were killed during Hussein’s Anfal operation in February 1988, near the end of the Iran-Iraq war.

Many men, women and children were killed and dumped in mass graves, while others were buried alive.

Chemical weapons were used in a number of attacks on Kurdish towns and villages during the operation, most notably in Halabja where 5,000 people were killed.

But just four countries recognise the events as a genocide — Britain, Norway, South Korea and Sweden.

Kurdish collaborators — known as jash — are held equally culpable for the genocide, giving away peshmerga positions and informing Hussein’s forces of the movement of villagers.

None however have been held accountable for their actions and have instead been protected by the governing parties, survivors say, with many holding senior positions in their respective military forces.

Sources told the Morning Star that there were efforts to block their prosecution because it would expose the role of leading figures in the KDP and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan in the collusion.

Mr Peshwar accused Mr Najar of using the Anfal victims as an “electioneering” stunt ahead of next month’s federal vote.

He said Kurdish genocide memorial organisations strongly condemned the non-prosecution of genocide criminals and statements defending them from the KDP politician. 

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