Sumar was the first city in the world to be attacked by chemical and mass destruction weapons after the Second World War. The then Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and his Baath Party, according to the international documents, committed all kinds of war crimes, including bombarding civilian areas and using chemical weapons, during the eight-year Iran-Iraq war.
***Chemical attacks on Sumar
Sumar is the closest Iranian city to Baghdad – Iraq’s capital. The city was bombed with chemical weapons several times by the Iraqi army during the eight-year war.
An official report by the United Nations says that Saddam Hussein used over 1,800 tons of mustard gas, 600 tons of sarin gas, 400 tons of tabun gas and over 100,000 chemical shells and bombs against Iran.
In the meantime, no international body responsible for such crimes made any efforts to stop the Iraqi army use of chemical weapons against Iran. This was true during the whole period of using chemical weapons by Saddam’s army.
In total, over one million Iranian civilians and combatants were exposed to chemical agents during over 350 chemical attacks. From among these people, about 100,000 people were severely infected and subject to treatment.
Currently, there are 65,000 Iranians identified as chemically injured with clear complications resulting from chemical contamination. These people are supported by Iran’s Foundation of Martyrs and Veterans Affairs and receive medical services.
Chemical attacks by the Baathi Regime did not only target battle areas, but also cities were involved. The Iranian cities of Sardasht and Sumar as well as Halabjah in Iraq were targeted.
Sumar was involved in many Iranian military operations during the eight-year war. It was a strategic city, the nearest Iranian city to Iraqi capital and a rich source of oil and gas resources.
The Iraqi army carried out several chemical attacks on the city, including in October 8 and 10 in 1987. The attack targeted front and logistic lines and even two civilian camps, resulting in over 700 injuries and 160 deaths.
Iran’s then Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Velayati wrote a letter to the United Nations Secretary-General, slamming international organizations and community for keeping silence in this regard.
The Iraqi army again carried out 16 rounds of chemical attacks on Field Hospital No. 528 in Sumar on December 31, 1986. The people in and around the hospital couldn’t use protective equipment and this led to the injuries and death of many people.
Once again on January 15, 1987, Saddam’s army waged a chemical attack on Sumar, killing 20 people and injuring over 200.
Iranian officials informed the United Nations Security Council of the attacks and demanded sending an investigation team. But there was no response but silence.
Sumar is now a very little town one street on the Iran-Iraq border, with many wounds from the eight-year war still remaining on its body.
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