UK Congratulates Halabja People

PUKMEDIA

UK and Italian Consulates' logos and Halabja Monument on the background.

The United Kingdom (UK) congratulated the people of Halabja in a statement on Tuesday, 15 April 2025, following the enactment of the Halabja Provincialisation Law by the Iraqi Parliament.

"The Iraqi Parliament's decision to recognise Halabja as a province marks an important and positive step," the British Consulate General in the Kurdistan Region said in a statement on X.

"The UK warmly congratulates the people of Halabja and the Kurdistan Region," it added.

"Congratulations on the establishment of the Governorate of Halabja," the Italian Consulate General in the Kurdistan Region said in a statement on X.

"A historic step that honors the memory and the future of the city. We wish for relief and prosperity, and hope it will never happen again anywhere in the world. Italy stands by the citizens of Halabja for development, peace, and cooperation," it added.

The Iraqi Parliament passed the Halabja Provincialisation Bill on Monday, 14 April 2025, officially making Halabja the 19th province of Iraq.

Meanwhile, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) recognised Halabja as the fourth province of the Kurdistan Region on 13 March 2014.

Halabja province has one district, four sub-districts, including Sirwan, Khurmal, Biara and Bamo, and 166 villages.

The Halabja Provincialisation Law, which has been in the parliament for more than a year but has been postponed because of disagreements with Arab lawmakers, is a part of the efforts to compensate for the enormous sacrifices Halabja has made. 

On 16 March 1988, the fallen Ba'ath regime in Iraq bombarded the city with prohibited chemical weapons, killing over 5000 civilians, including women, children, and the elderly, while injuring thousands more, most of whom still suffer from their wounds to this day.



PUKMEDIA