Anfal not over for families waiting for victims to be identified
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Dr. Yasin Karim, head of Erbil’s forensic institute, opens the door of the freezer where bodies are kept before being given to their relatives. Here, there are 14 boxes of bones belonging to Peshmerga that have been in the freezer for nine years.
Karim said he wants to release these remains to the families, but they have not been identified yet and DNA testing has not been done.
In order to understand the story behind these 14 bodies lying in Erbil’s forensic department, we must visit Nizarke castle and Shakhke Cemetery in Duhok.
In 2009, Karim was supervising a team excavating a mass grave in Shakhke cemetery. Some believe that KDP Peshmerga who were captured and imprisoned in Nizarke castle by the Baathist regime during the Anfal campaign were killed and buried in the mass grave.
Abdulrazaq Abdullah, a Peshmerga who suspects his friends are among the bodies found in the grave, spoke about one of them called Haydar Abdullah Amo.
“Even the mountain behind me can witness the bravery of Haydar, who defeated the enemy and captured their headquarters several times,” he said.
On August 25, 1988, Peshmerga learned that Iraqi forces were preparing an attack on the Badinan area of Duhok.
Mohammed Abdullah Amo, the brother of Haydar and also a Peshmerga, recalled telling his fellow Peshmerga to evacuate their families. “Some Peshmerga took my words seriously and tried to flee toward Turkey’s border. But my brother, Haydar, said it was impossible for the Iraqi army to be able to reach the place,” Amo said.
In some places, the Peshmerga fought back, but the army was strong.
Ashti Sahid, whose father stayed and fought alongside Haydar Abdullah Amo and other Peshmerga, remembered that Kurdish mercenaries fighting for Iraq, known as jash in Kurdish, helped the Iraqi army find the Kurdish fighters on the mountainside.
“The jash played an important role in lowering peoples’ morale and pinpointing the location of the Peshmerga to the army. We reached Turkish territory, from where we got news that my father and Haydar were arrested and taken to Nizarke castle,” he recalled.
Parts of Nizarke castle still remain. It is a military base in Duhok province built in the same way as Nugra Salman – a fortress prison in southern Iraq that became a death camp for Kurds. The Peshmerga are thought to have been imprisoned at the castle, along with a large number of women and children.
Amra Sleman saw Peshmerga at the castle. “I heard them scream while being tortured. They killed some of them with bricks. I saw them hitting them in the head with bricks.”
Sleman is still haunted by the scenes she witnessed. “They were killing all the Peshmerga they were bringing to the castle,” she said.
Mohammed Ali Ahmed is another witness, who was held at Nizarke castle although he was injured. “They killed some by beating them. They had dragged their bodies to the front of the castle at 4 am, and were then taken to Shakhke cemetery.”
“I recognized my father’s watch and clothing. I am sure one of these dead bodies is that of my father,” he said.
Another possible relative, Ayub Abdulkhaliq, said they gave blood samples a few years ago for DNA testing. “We don’t understand why this remains unclear and haven’t been handed these bodies,” he said.
Ayub Abdulkhaliq was with his father when he bought the clothing and watch he wore on the day he died. “Even my mother recognized his clothes.”
There are hundreds of graves of people who died in Anfal in Shakhke cemetery. Many people go there to lay flowers on the graves.
“The agony of Anfal is not ending. It is painful to wait until the time where we are handed their bodies,” said Haydar Abdullah Amo.
DNA testing is the only way to finally bring an end to this sad story.
“We need to depend on scientific tests and identify them through blood tests,” said Dr. Karim, adding “It is the duty of the government and ministry of martyrs to take blood samples from relatives of all Peshmerga and send them to us. We have called on them to do this several times.”
Berivan Hamdi, director general at the Ministry of Martyrs and Anfal Affairs said: “We have taken blood samples and good steps have been taken and we will try to settle this soon.”
“In the Anfal of Badinan, there aren’t only civilians in the mass graves. Some graves contain bodies of Peshmerga arrested and later martyred. We want to arrange a worthwhile ceremony to bury these bodies after blood tests are done,” he explained.
Karim said he wants to release these remains to the families, but they have not been identified yet and DNA testing has not been done.
In order to understand the story behind these 14 bodies lying in Erbil’s forensic department, we must visit Nizarke castle and Shakhke Cemetery in Duhok.
In 2009, Karim was supervising a team excavating a mass grave in Shakhke cemetery. Some believe that KDP Peshmerga who were captured and imprisoned in Nizarke castle by the Baathist regime during the Anfal campaign were killed and buried in the mass grave.
Abdulrazaq Abdullah, a Peshmerga who suspects his friends are among the bodies found in the grave, spoke about one of them called Haydar Abdullah Amo.
“Even the mountain behind me can witness the bravery of Haydar, who defeated the enemy and captured their headquarters several times,” he said.
On August 25, 1988, Peshmerga learned that Iraqi forces were preparing an attack on the Badinan area of Duhok.
Mohammed Abdullah Amo, the brother of Haydar and also a Peshmerga, recalled telling his fellow Peshmerga to evacuate their families. “Some Peshmerga took my words seriously and tried to flee toward Turkey’s border. But my brother, Haydar, said it was impossible for the Iraqi army to be able to reach the place,” Amo said.
In some places, the Peshmerga fought back, but the army was strong.
Ashti Sahid, whose father stayed and fought alongside Haydar Abdullah Amo and other Peshmerga, remembered that Kurdish mercenaries fighting for Iraq, known as jash in Kurdish, helped the Iraqi army find the Kurdish fighters on the mountainside.
“The jash played an important role in lowering peoples’ morale and pinpointing the location of the Peshmerga to the army. We reached Turkish territory, from where we got news that my father and Haydar were arrested and taken to Nizarke castle,” he recalled.
Parts of Nizarke castle still remain. It is a military base in Duhok province built in the same way as Nugra Salman – a fortress prison in southern Iraq that became a death camp for Kurds. The Peshmerga are thought to have been imprisoned at the castle, along with a large number of women and children.
Amra Sleman saw Peshmerga at the castle. “I heard them scream while being tortured. They killed some of them with bricks. I saw them hitting them in the head with bricks.”
Sleman is still haunted by the scenes she witnessed. “They were killing all the Peshmerga they were bringing to the castle,” she said.
Mohammed Ali Ahmed is another witness, who was held at Nizarke castle although he was injured. “They killed some by beating them. They had dragged their bodies to the front of the castle at 4 am, and were then taken to Shakhke cemetery.”
“I recognized my father’s watch and clothing. I am sure one of these dead bodies is that of my father,” he said.
Another possible relative, Ayub Abdulkhaliq, said they gave blood samples a few years ago for DNA testing. “We don’t understand why this remains unclear and haven’t been handed these bodies,” he said.
Ayub Abdulkhaliq was with his father when he bought the clothing and watch he wore on the day he died. “Even my mother recognized his clothes.”
There are hundreds of graves of people who died in Anfal in Shakhke cemetery. Many people go there to lay flowers on the graves.
“The agony of Anfal is not ending. It is painful to wait until the time where we are handed their bodies,” said Haydar Abdullah Amo.
DNA testing is the only way to finally bring an end to this sad story.
“We need to depend on scientific tests and identify them through blood tests,” said Dr. Karim, adding “It is the duty of the government and ministry of martyrs to take blood samples from relatives of all Peshmerga and send them to us. We have called on them to do this several times.”
Berivan Hamdi, director general at the Ministry of Martyrs and Anfal Affairs said: “We have taken blood samples and good steps have been taken and we will try to settle this soon.”
“In the Anfal of Badinan, there aren’t only civilians in the mass graves. Some graves contain bodies of Peshmerga arrested and later martyred. We want to arrange a worthwhile ceremony to bury these bodies after blood tests are done,” he explained.