BÊRÎTAN ZINAR

News Center- Anfal is an Arabic word meaning “the spoils” taken by Muslims from non-Muslims during a war. Anfal is the name of the eighth sura of the Koran and also the name of the genocide committed against the Kurds in Iraq between 1986 and 1989. Shortly, we can say that many fascist forces in Kurdistan see the genocide committed against the Kurds as "spoils" for them. In the Anfal Genocide, inhumane methods such as arrest, torture, killing, and the use of chemical weapons were used against the Kurds. More than 180,000 people were killed and about one million people were forcibly displaced in the genocide. Although 33 years have passed since the genocide was committed against the Kurds, the Kurds still feel the pain of the genocide.

The story of Nesrin Abdullah, who was a teacher and killed along with her six family members in the Anfal genocide, is a heartbreaking story.

Rana Ferec Hesen was born in 1945 in Eastern Kurdistan. She had two brothers and a sister and she was not sent to school because she was a girl. She married Abdullah Mihemed Salih when she was 18-19 years old, and moved to Sulaymaniyah (Sulaimani) with her husband. Then, she gave birth to a girl. The couple named their daughter Nesrin. Nesrin was born in 1959, in the Xebat neighborhood of Sulaymaniyah. The couple then had three sons and three daughters named Celal, Eta, Perwin, Omer, Şilêr, and Rengin.

She was a hardworking student

Rana Ferec Hesen, who faced oppression and occupation both in Eastern Kurdistan and Southern Kurdistan, became a patriot and raised her children as patriots. Rana Ferec Hesen's home was a meeting place for people and she taught her children how to fight against oppression and bullying. Nesrin Abdullah was sent to school by her parents and she was a hardworking student. She taught her siblings how to write and read. She was also like the mother of her sisters and brothers.

After graduating from high school, she began to study chemistry at the University of Sulaimani in 1979. In 1983, she was appointed as a teacher at Darbandikhan Girls' Secondary School and she stayed with other teachers in Darbandikhan. Nesrin always supported her students and her students saw her as their friend.

She was targeted by the Ba'athist regime

During the Iraq-Iran war, teachers in Darbandikhan were asked to cook for Ba’athist soldiers in rich houses. But Nesrin refused to cook. Then, Nesrin was asked to support the Ba'athist regime but she refused to be their supporter. Her stance against the Ba'athist regime caused Nesrin to be targeted and watched by the regime. Realizing that she was being watched, Nesrin asked to be appointed to Sulaymaniyah. She became a member of the Martyr Sinewbe organization supported by her brother Celal. She attended the activities of the organizations along with her mother Rana and brother Celal.

The family was asked to pay the price of the bullet killing Celal

On August 11, 1987, Celal was arrested. Rana demanded the release of her son along with other mothers demanding the release of their children. One night, Rana saw a dream and felt hopeless. Celal sent a letter to his family from the prison and wrote that they would be also arrested. On October 24, 1987, Celal was killed along with his four friends by the Ba'athist regime. The family was asked to pay for the bullet killing Celal.

All family members were arrested

In an interview, Rana Ferec Hesen’s son Omer Abdullah said:

“Celal wrote in his letter that all of our family members were in danger of being arrested. He asked us to leave the house. But we didn’t leave. My mother and father slept in the garden while we slept on the roof. That night, I could hear the sounds of armored vehicles and gunfire. My sister and brother told me to leave the house and I left. In the morning, I returned to the house and witnessed a tragedy. There was a bakery near our house and the owner of the bakery told me that all soldiers were looking for me. So I went to my uncle’s house. My father had written a letter to my uncle and asked him to forget them and never ask any question about them.”

No one opened the door

When their house was raided, Rengin was not at home. Thus, Rengin became the second surviving person in the family of nine.

“My cousin Kamuran visited us on that day. After having a cup of tea, he wanted to return home located in Şanedari and I wanted to go with him. That night, I didn’t allow anyone to sleep because I cried until morning. Early in the morning, Kamuran took me back to our house. We knocked on the door but no one opened it. We heard that they were arrested. Then, I received letters from my father, Nesrin and Şiler,” Rengin said.

No news has been received from them

The family members were held in the prison of Sulaymaniyah for more than two months. In December, they were transferred to the police station in Baghdad. After being held in the police station for two days, they were transferred to Kirkuk. Since then, no news has been received from them, like 180,000 people, who were killed in the Anfal genocide.

The uprising in Sulaymaniyah against the Ba'athist regime on March 7, 1991, gave hope to Omer and Rengin to find their family members. But they couldn’t find them.

After the fall of the Ba'athist regime in Iraq in 2003, Omer and Rengin found a document and they learned that their family members were killed on December 23, 1987.

Rana (42), Abdullah (55), Nesrin (28), Eta (20), Perwin (18), and Şiler (10) were killed by the Ba'athist regime in Iraq.

 

In a family of nine, Omer and Rengin survived the Anfal genocide and they never forget their family members.