Radio Netherlands Worldwide

Saddam Hussein did not order a gas attack on Halabjah. That is a lie cooked up by the Pentagon back in 1990 to paint Saddam as a devil and gain support for his overthrow. During the Iran-Iraq war, Saddam used gas against Iranian troops occupying villages along the border, including Halabjah, rather than destroy the villages with bombs. Mustard gas was used, the kind that causes burns and long-term respiratory problems. There is no doubt that many Kurds suffered along with the invaders. Iran was also using gas, a kind which kills very quickly. Most of the Kurds killed during the incident in question died almost instantly, as one can see from the photographs. They were clearly killed by the cyanide gas fired into Halabjah by Iran, not by Saddam’s mustard gas. This has been confirmed by every study into the incident, even those conducted by the U.S. Had Saddam been brought to trial on this matter, the truth would have been revealed. He was charged with a relatively minor crime instead and quickly executed.