U.S. Marks Anniversary of Iraq's Murder of 5,000 Civilians
Boucher recalls 1988 chemical weapons attack on Halabja


Approximately 5,000 Iraqi civilians were killed and another 10,000 were injured March 16, 1988 when Iraqi President Saddam Hussein ordered the aerial bombardment of Halabja with mustard gas and other poison gases.

"Though unconscionable, Saddam Hussein's chemical weapons attack on Halabja was not an isolated incident," said State Department Spokesman Richard Boucher, reminding journalists of the 14th anniversary of the tragedy.

Halabja was the worst hit of about 250 Kurdish villages that were targeted by the Iraqi leader with chemical and biological weapons between April 1987 and August 1988.

"As we remember Halabja, we want to reaffirm to ourselves and the international community that Saddam Hussein's regime must never be permitted to rebuild its weapons of mass destruction programs or once again threaten its neighbors or its own people," Boucher said.

The following excerpt on Halabja is taken from the regular State Department press briefing, March 15.

Tomorrow marks the 14th anniversary of Saddam Hussein's heinous chemical weapons attack on Halabja, the predominantly Kurdish city in northeastern Iraq. On March 16th, 1988 the Iraqi military conducted an aerial bombardment of Halabja with mustard and other poison gases that killed roughly 5,000 civilians and injured another 10,000. Though unconscionable, Saddam Hussein's chemical weapons attack on Halabja was not an isolated incident.

It is policies and practices such as those that led President Bush to characterize Iraq as part of an axis of evil, Iraq arms to threaten the peace of the world, posing a grave and growing danger through its pursuit of weapons of mass destruction. Iraq remains a threat because of the pursuit of weapons of mass destruction, and the willingness of Iraq's leaders to use them.

As we remember Halabja, we want to reaffirm to ourselves and the international community that Saddam Hussein's regime must never be permitted to rebuild its weapons of mass destruction programs, or once again threaten its neighbors or its own people. There's a somewhat more complete statement on this that I'll give to you. We have done this, as you know, in previous years on the anniversary of this date, and I think it's an important time for people to remember what's happened and who in the world has indeed used chemical weapons in the past, and why we see this as a continuing threat.





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