The Kurds, numbering between 20 to 25 million are considered the world's largest nation
without a state of their own. The Treaty of Lausanne split Kurdistan between Turkey, Iran,
Syria and Iraq. Just over four million Kurds live in Iraq (23% of the population). The
majority of Kurds are Sunni Muslims who believe in a democratic system. They live in
northern Iraq under an oppressive regime. In 1963, American diplomats encouraged the Kurds to support U.S. sponsored coup Ba'ath party. In 1968 Saddam Hussein (not president until 1979), seemed to support Kurds by granting them the right to use own language and some political autonomy.
But the relationship broke down when Ba'ath party evicted Kurdish farmers from oil-producing areas and replaced them with Arab tribesmen guarded by government troops. In 1972 Hussein signs a treaty with USSR. Because of this, in 1973, U.S. government and Shan of Iran fund kurds. The Kurds attack the Iraqi regime in 1974 and CIA operates with Kurds. The Shah and Hussein come to an agreement so the U.S. stops supporting the Kurds. Tens of thousands of Kurds are forcibly moved to sites in desert within days after U.S. pulled support and 130,000 flee to Iran.
In 1979, the Shah fleed Iran, and the American government invested in Saddam's Iraq to
ensure their share of the oil wealth. Rumsfeld met with Hussein in March of 1984 to form
diplomatic relations. The same day the UN released its findings that Iraq had used nerve gas combined with mustard gas against Iranian troops. "In 1992,a congressional inquiry found that Bush as president had ordered a cover-up to conceal his secret support for Saddam and the illegal arms shipments being sent to Iraq via third world countries. Missile technology was shipped to South Africa and Chile, then sold to Iraq. Congressman Henry Gonzalez, chairman of the House of Representatives Banking Committee, said: "[We found that] Bush and his advisers financed, equipped and succoured the monster with Iran".
February to September of 1988, Hussein mounted an Anfal (the spoils) against the Iraqi
Kurds, genocidal and gendercidal in nature. All males old enough to bear arms (15 -70 yrs
old) were killed. But many younger boys were also killed because age was determined by body size. Hundreds of women, children and the eldery died from gassing, starvation,and
exposure.Two thousand women and children were also executed. The death toll is estimated between 60,000to 11,000 but some Kurdish leaders say it is closer to 182,000.(Iraq's Crime of Genocide, pp. 115, 171.) The Anfal in each area began with a mustard and nerve gas being dropped from the air. Then ground troops invaded, demolishing villages before transporting villagers to holding or tansit camps. Where men , women and children where killed in mass executions. Some of the women and children were sent to relocation camps where many died due to unsanitary and harsh conditions
In August 1988 -- with the Anfal campaign nearly over, and in the wake of a year-and-a-half
of vicious chemical attacks on civilian populations -- "the United Nations Sub-Committee on Human Rights voted by 11 votes to 8 not to condemn Iraq for human rights violations. Only the Scandinavian countries, Australia and Canada, together with bodies like the European Parliament and the Socialist International, saved their honour by clearly condemning Iraq." (Nezan, "When our 'friend' Saddam was gassing the Kurds.)
Not only did the United States government vote not to condemn Hussein but:
"The border was sealed off, and the Kurds had no outside support whatsoever. Saddam was able to move into Kurdistan and take his vengeance on the Kurds. Kissinger was asked about the morality of a policy that encouraged the people to revolt against their central government in order to obtain a minor political gain for us--and then when we achieved other goals, we would betray the people and allowed them to be slaughtered. And Kissinger replied that covert military activity is not to be confused with missionary work. It was one of most immoral statements made by an American secretary of state." (from interview with James Atkins who worked in US Embassy in Baghdad from 1963-1965 )
"The border was sealed off, and the Kurds had no outside support whatsoever. Saddam was able to move into Kurdistan and take his vengeance on the Kurds. Kissinger was asked about the morality of a policy that encouraged the people to revolt against their central government in order to obtain a minor political gain for us--and then when we achieved other goals, we would betray the people and allowed them to be slaughtered. And Kissinger replied that covert military activity is not to be confused with missionary work. It was one of most immoral statements made by an American secretary of state." (from interview with James Atkins who worked in US Embassy in Baghdad from 1963-1965 )
(PBS.org; gendercide.org/case_anfal.html;
