On the 25th of Esfand 1366 (March 15th, 1988), while only four days remained until the new year, the city was bustling with people. They had come to the market to buy things for the night of Eid and the city was filled with chatter and excitement. Mothers were holding their children’s hands and buying new clothes for them. Men were carrying bags of Eid shopping back home with their families. It was the beginning of spring, the season of growth and blooming flowers and plants. The trees were blossoming and in the fields and hills surrounding the city of “Halabcheh”, the fresh spring flowers were in full bloom… Suddenly, the roar of fighter jets above the city stunned everyone. The breaths that had risen from their chests did not come down and the ones that were trapped in their chests did not have a chance to come up. In the blink of an eye, around five thousand people lost their lives simultaneously and the

Halabja is a Kurdish city located in the northeast of Iraq and in close proximity to Iran in the northwest of the country. In this tragedy, in addition to the approximately five thousand innocent people who lost their lives in just a few minutes, more than seven thousand were also injured and disabled. The chemical bombing of Halabja was a tragedy that, even after 35 years, continues to claim victims and cause death, disability, and damage for years to come. The wounds inflicted by this deadly chemical agent were so deep and lasting on the bodies and minds of its victims that it will affect generations to come. In this heartbreaking tragedy, thousands of families perished together. Mothers and children, wives and husbands, fathers and mothers, and relatives were unable to take another breath or step in their homes and streets. The full extent of this tragedy is still unclear after many years and remains shrouded in uncertainty and darkness.

Unfortunately, Aleppo’s fate is doomed after the chemical bombing.

After hearing the news of the chemical bombing of Halabja by the Iraqi army and the massacre of its residents, and the chaos and turmoil caused by war and conflict in the region, Iranian Revolutionary Guards and Basij forces descended upon Halabja and took control of the city. The governor of Kermanshah appointed a special representative, with the title of mayor, to oversee all aspects of the city. They began collecting and burying the bodies of the killed and gathering the belongings of the people of Halabja, most of whom were either dead or severely injured, and took possession of the immense wealth of the deceased. According to the author, the city was looted in a way, but the extent of the tragedy was so vast that no one spoke of this looting and no one was held accountable. In fact, the tragedy of Halabja holds within it thousands of bitter and sorrowful tales, and raises hundreds of questions in the mind; questions that have not been

The vastness and harrowing nature of what happened to the innocent civilians in Aleppo, and the chaotic and mysterious corners of it, which are like an ocean of blood, death, destruction, looting, and chaos, are like a cinema screen being opened in front of you. Therefore, delving into it is not an easy task. Perhaps to truly understand the depth of this horrific tragedy, one must be one of its victims and witness firsthand what happened on those dusty days in Aleppo. You must have great courage and bravery to be able to capture a part of the whole disaster with your pen and retell some of the immense suffering and pain, and show others to pass judgment; a judgment in which no verdict or condemnation can be seen.

The ambiguity and lack of clarity surrounding the dimensions of the tragedy that befell the people of Halabja has caused the sorrowful secrets of it to remain in ambiguity even after 35 years, and the all-encompassing dimensions of this deadly and unprecedented bombing have not been revealed. Unfortunately, instead of responding appropriately and justly to this heinous crime against humanity, the world has almost forgotten it. The United Nations, the International Court of Justice, and no international organization, government, or nation has sought justice for the thousands of killed and the lives that were destroyed. There were only a few passing cases that brought attention to the issue, but before any results could be achieved, they were pushed aside. As a result, the depth of the tragedy and its untold stories remain.

The tragedy of Halabja in the midst of an 8-year war.

During the 8-year-long war between Iran and Iraq, which was known as the “Holy Defense” and “Imposed War” by the Islamic Republic, and as the “Qadisiyyah Battle” (a reference to the Arab victory over the Persian Empire in the 14th century) by Saddam Hussein and the Iraqi government, thousands of tragic events took place. During these 8 years, millions of people were killed, injured, and displaced, and billions of dollars in damages were left by both sides of the war. A large number of the casualties and injuries were among Iranian youth, teenagers, and children who were recklessly sent to the battlefield. The most tragic of these events was the chemical bombing of the city of Halabja, which occurred just a few months before the end of the war and claimed the lives of approximately 5,000 innocent victims. Victims who had no one to speak for them and seek justice. Of course, there was no court or justice

After 35 years, there are still people in this city searching for their missing loved ones. There are still those who disappeared from this city and its surroundings on that fateful day for unknown reasons, and their families return to this city in search of their identities and any sign of their loved ones. They are bewildered and lost, searching for them. There are still those who were children 35 years ago and lost their families, growing up in other big cities and now, having discovered the truth, return to Halabcheh to find any trace of their parents, but nothing is found. There are also young people who have no idea that they were once children of Halabcheh, their identities and languages changed. Of course, the Halabcheh that exists now under that name is something else, it is not the same Halabcheh. What remains of that Halabcheh is only a vast cemetery with thousands of meters and white, identical gravestones with

At the end, it will not be irrelevant if we consider the tragedy of Halabja as an example of the words of that opinion holder who said: If the Third World War happens, undoubtedly the Fourth World War will be with bows and arrows. This means that at the end of the Third World War, no human being and no sign of civilization and human achievements will remain, and as a result, the land will be empty of everything and it will take centuries for new humans to come into existence and lay the foundations of a civilization from scratch. Halabja was a global catastrophe that was destroyed.