Press release

Anfal Memorial Day 2019: Foreign Office statement

Mark Field remembers the many Kurdish people in Iraq killed during Saddam Hussein’s Anfal campaign.

• From: Foreign & Commonwealth Office and The Rt Hon Mark Field
• Published: 14 April 2019

This was published under the 2016 to 2019 May Conservative government

Minister for the Middle East Mark Field said:

Today marks the 31st anniversary of the Anfal Campaign, Saddam Hussein’s brutal assault against the Kurdish people in Iraq, in which between fifty and one hundred thousand men, women and children were slaughtered. Countless others were driven from their homes. On this poignant occasion, our thoughts are with those families mourning loved ones.

In recent years the people of Iraq, including those of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, have faced a new threat in the form of Daesh – a barbaric organisation that has sought to propagate a hateful ideology. The UK is proud to have stood by the Iraqi people in the fight against Daesh, and we will continue to support them in building a peaceful and prosperous future.

Further information

• Follow Foreign Office Minister Mark Field @MarkFieldUK

• Follow the Foreign Office on Twitter @foreignoffice and Facebook

• Follow the Foreign Office on Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn

Media enquiries

For journalists

Email newsdesk@fco.gov.uk

Published 14 April 2019