Kurds attack Halabja memorial, govt offices

HALABJA, Iraq, Mar 16: Hundreds of Kurdish protesters attacked a memorial to the 1988 gas attack in the Iraqi town of Halabja today and stormed official buildings on the 18th anniversary of the deaths of 5,000 local people.

Witnesses said shooting broke out after people angered by poor local services heckled Kurdish officials making speeches to commemorate the attack blamed on Saddam Hussein's forces.

Two local journalists said they saw several casualties, including at least one person who appeared to have been killed.

The violence erupted as Iraq's top Kurdish leaders sat in parliament in Baghdad just before it was due to convene three months after elections.

The Kurdish fury in Halabja could be embarrassing for Kurdish leaders who have managed to keep the Kurdish north stable as sectarian violence has ripped apart Iraq.

Hajem al-Hassani, the outgoing speaker of parliament, called for a moment's silence in the chamber to commemorate the Halabja attack, one of the most potent symbols of Kurdish suffering during Saddam's three-decade rule.

Kurdish politicians have often used Halabja to try to unite the ethnic group, whose fortunes changed after a US-led invasion toppled Saddam in 2003 and elections which swept them to power along with Shi'ites.

REUTERS