Iraqi PM calls for Baghdad-Erbil coordination on Anfal victims' rights

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Falih al-Zaydi said Wednesday that coordination between the federal government and the Kurdistan Region is essential to safeguard the rights of victims and martyrs of the Anfal operations carried out by the former regime in the 1980s. According to the Prime Minister's Press Office, al-Zaydi met with Kurdistan Regional Government Minister of Martyrs and Anfal Victims Abdullah al-Haj Mahmoud, alongside Walid Abdulhusein al-Sahayni, head of the Political Prisoners Institution. The meeting reviewed ways to strengthen cooperation between Baghdad and Erbil to protect the rights of victims of the toppled dictatorial regime and their families. Al-Zaydi stressed the need to support institutions tied to national memory, continue documenting the crimes of the former regime and reinforce the values of justice. The Anfal operations refer to a campaign waged in eight phases in 1988 by the Saddam Hussein regime against civilians across large parts of Kurdistan, including Kirkuk, in which chemical weapons were used.