This year, however, the public commemorations that usually accompany the anniversary have been canceled as a preventative measure against the spread of coronavirus.

On Sunday evening, a 24-hour curfew was declared, in part to discourage people from visiting the graves of relatives killed in the attack.

‪ “The Kurdistan Regional Government will try its best to serve the families of the martyrs and those who died in the Anfal campaign,” Kurdistan Regional Government Prime Minister Masrour Barzani said in a statement, NRT reported.

‪ “Remembering this tragedy should be a motivation for us to be united and to work together towards conquering hard times and crises that might face the Kurdistan Region,” he added.

On March 16, 1988, the Ba'ath regime attacked the city of Halabja using mustard gas and the nerve agents’ sarin, tabun, and VX.

Poisonous fumes spread across the city, leaving as many as 5,000 people dead, most of whom were civilians.

The survivors fled the city, with many heading over the mountains into Iran. Some became separated from their families in the chaos of the attack and were never able to make contact again.

Many of the city’s residents who were exposed during the chemical attack still suffer the effects to this day, both psychologically and physically.

Kurdistan Democratic Party leader Masoud Barzani paid his respect to the victims of the attack in a statement and called for reparations from the federal government.

Reporter’s code: 50101