March 16–17, 1988 · Northern Iraq / Kurdistan Theater
March 16–17, 1988
Iraqi aircraft and artillery deployed a cocktail of mustard gas, sarin, tabun, and possibly cyanide-based agents against the Kurdish town of Halabja, which had been briefly captured by Iranian forces and Kurdish Peshmerga. Up to 5,000 civilians died within hours — entire families found in their homes, in the streets, at water fountains. It was the largest chemical weapons attack against a civilian population in history. The world watched; nothing decisive was done.
Commanders