Halabja City Research Articles

Seismic Analysis of Reinforced Concrete Pier Strengthened by Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymers

In this vast world after an earthquake lessons are learned; many strategies have been considered in order to achieve a proper seismic strength capacity.The aim of this paper is studying the seismic behavior of a typical reinforced concrete bridge pier in Iraq and implementing a proper technique of strengthening in order to fix any damage that had happened.Structure of a full scale three-dimensional finite element model was used in order to simulate a reinforced concrete pier via the computer software ABAQUS/CAE 2017 using concrete plasticity damage model (CDP).Under the action of Halabja earthquake, which was recorded at city of Halabja in Iraq on 12 November 2017, the behavior of model was traced, analyzed and the resulted damages were managed.The finite element analysis results indicated that the proposed configuration of carbon fiber reinforced polymers laminates substantially increases the lateral load strength and deformation capacity of the bridge pier

Gendered lived experiences of marriage and family following exposure to chemical warfare agents: content analysis of qualitative interviews with survivors in Halabja, Kurdistan-Iraq

ObjectiveTo study gendered experiences of the long-term effects of a chemical warfare agent (CWA; sulfur mustard).DesignQualitative face-to-face semi-structured in-depth interview study using content analysis approach with thematic analysis and anthropological...

US Position on Kurdish Issue in Southern Kurdistan (1980-1988)

Following the demise of Kurdish revolution in 1975, the US turned their back on the Kurds completely. Kurds became hopeless and were shocked because they had pinned much hopes on them. This rigorous stance from the US angered Kurds as a whole. Therefore, those parties who came into existence after 1975 pursued some sort of anti American slogans believing that the US betrayed Kurds. The US repeatedly made it clear that the Kurdish issue was a domestic issue of Iraq. Kurds trying to enjoy close relations with the US was absolutely unilateral. The Iran-Iraq war paved the way for Iraq to forge relationships with the US to the degree they even received arms and intelligence information from Washington. With time passing Iraq played the role of distancing Kurds from the US. Following the ‘Enemy of my Enemy is my Friend’ the US paved the way for Kurds to get close to Iran, a move which angered Washington. Due to their interests and policies, the US turned a blind eye on Baath regime’s repressive acts against Kurds including the use of chemical weapons against Kurds in 1988 in the city of Halabja which claimed the lives of 5000 civilians and wounded 10000 more, the notorious Anfal genocide campaign and the destruction of thousands of Kurdish villages. There was, however, a degree of differences in stance between the then US administration and the Congress. Though the Congress and House of Representatives took a set of measures against the Baath regime, the US administration objected them. Following the end of Iraq-Iran war, the situation changed to some extent as the US media and Congress appeared to speak louder against the use of chemical weapons against Kurds. The US started to put an end to their supports to Saddam due to regional and global developments, yet the Kurds were not part of their agenda.

Seismic Behavior Analysis Considering Soil Structure Interaction of RC Multistory Buildings in Halabja City

Response of structures to seismic loads measures the degree of safety of the structures. In order for buildings to be under a more realistic circumstance, it is essential to consider the effect of Soil – Structure – Interaction (SSI) in the analysis of the building subjected to seismic loads. In this study, three samples of typical buildings with six, eight and ten stories are chosen with and without the effect of SSI using both equivalent static method and dynamic response spectrum analysis. For each method, the five different soil categories (SA, SB, SC, SD, SE) are examined to illustrate the effect of the foundation soil on the buildings subjected to a seismic load. The results show that no modifications can be observed in rock foundations with or without the consideration of SSI. On the contrary, the effect on SSI can increase the displacement in low stiffness soils particularly soil type (SE). Similarly the natural time period of the buildings increase significantly with decreasing the soil stiffness.&nbsp

Seismic Behavior of Composite Simply Supported Bridge Decks supported on Elastomeric Bearings

This paper studies the behavior of bridges’ superstructure under seismic action. The bridge under investigation is one of the typical bridges usually used in overpasses in Iraq, which is made of simply supported steel built up girders and reinforced concrete deck slab isolated from the substructure by elastomeric bearing pads. A three-dimensional finite element model was developed using CSI Bridge Software. Time history analysis was carried out using true-recorded earthquake took place in Iraq near the city of Halabja in 2017. The results of the analysis show that the displacements of the elastomeric bearing pads under transverse seismic loading are much higher than the permissible displacements’ limit which will produce failure of these bearings and potential failure of the bridge superstructure.

Determination of the Remnant Environmental Impacts Resulting from the Chemical Bombing of Halabja, Kurdistan- Iraq

16 March of every year marked the anniversary of the chemical gas attack on the City of Halabja, Kurdistan, Iraq, and its nearby villages. In the process, 5000 people reportedly died from the attack. Many more were wounded and the event left nearly 60 000 people displaced. A perceived consequence of the chemical bombing of Halabja City was the environmental pollution of the soil and water. A recent questionnaire completed by the population of Halabja City indicated that 35% believed that water pollution was still an issue, and 55% thought that soil pollution posed a high risk.In 2016, were requested by the Halabja City governor to investigate the situation. And to lay to rest the perception and concerns of soil and water still being contaminated by the events that happened on that day in March 1988. A total of 8 soil and 18 water samples were collected, Soil samples were collected from thesurface and as close as possible to bomb sites and craters, in contrast, water samples were collected from seven springs, ten water wells, and one surface streams downslope as close as possible to the bombed areas. The samples were analyzed for chemical warfare agents which are Arsenic, Cyanide, Fluoride, soluble orthophosphate, Nitrate, Phosphorous, Sulphate, and Sulphur. The results indicated no negative contamination remaining in both water and soil. The geology and hydrogeology in the area played an important role in helping the chemical warfare agents (CWA) to degrade during the past 28 years. Most of the CWA used arewater- soluble and solubility increases when the agents are either hydrolyzed or oxidized. The hydrolysis products have equal toxicity to the parent chemicals, posing a similar threat to the environment. In contrast, the intact chemicals can be adsorbed onto sediment, where they can be stored for a longer time.

Health perspectives among Halabja's civilian survivors of sulfur mustard exposure with respiratory symptoms-A qualitative study.

BackgroundIn 1988, Halabja came under heavy chemical warfare attack using chemicals such as sulfur mustard (SM). Thousands of survivors of SM exposure in the city today live with multiple health complaints, such as severe, long-lasting respiratory symptoms; but their perceptions of health have never been adequately researched. We aimed to explore current major health concern topics in civilian survivors with long-term respiratory symptoms.MethodSixteen subjects (f:m10:6, mean age 45.5 years (range 34–67)) were interviewed. Study participants were recruited in 2016 via a purposive sampling strategy among civilian survivors of chemical warfare in the city of Halabja in Kurdistan-Iraq. A qualitative research design was applied including semi-structured, face-to-face interviews. Data was analyzed using systematic text condensation.ResultsThe analysis yielded fourteen themes related to: (1) General health: all participants described a deterioration in physical and psychological health, following the SM exposure, foremost involving respiratory symptoms, fatigue, sleeping disorders, ocular problems, depressive symptoms, and anxiety; (2) Quality of life: most notably, they reported a limited family life, limited social relations, lack of work ability, and concern about their financial situation. Moreover, many lived in constant fear of a renewed attack; (3) access to health care services: all participants reported that they had no, or only poor, access to health care services and limited access to specialist care, and all reported lack of financial resources to obtain treatment.ConclusionsThe post-exposure somatic and psychosocial effects such as respiratory symptoms of CWA are plausible contributor to poor general health and quality of life among survivors. We conclude that multidisciplinary interventions are needed to tackle the biopsychosocial complications in survivors of SM exposure to minimize further health damage in the future, as well as to promote their health-related quality of life.

INVESTIGATION OF DAMAGE ON DERBENDIKHAN DAM DURING EARTHQUAKE EXCITATION

In this study, the performance of a damaged dam was evaluated through a three-dimensional finite element model. The dam is located in Derbendikhan city of Northern Iraq and damaged during a 7.3 magnitude earthquake which was happened 30 kilometers south of Halabja city. Derbendikhan dam which was built between the years 1956-1961 is a clay-core rock fill dam. The damage of the dam was investigated at the site right after the earthquake and some cracks were observed in the main body of the dam. The main goal of this work is to present the results of the survey which was conducted at the site and investigating the damage development mechanism through a realistic three-dimensional finite element model of the dam. As complying with the observations at the site, the finite element analysis has shown that the primary failure mechanism is due to the separation of the core and rock fill sections at the downstream side of the dam.

PERSECUTION OF THE KURDISH PEOPLE ON BEHALF OF ANFAL

In recent years, the Anfal has become a terrifying word for the Kurdish individual. As soon as he hears of it, he remembers the days of the campaigns of repression and genocide that were directly targeted by the former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein. Although the Anfal is a Qur'anic term, and the verse of the verse is competent with the infidels, the Iraqi regime has committed it to achieve its objectives. This crime was conceived in a religious and Islamic way. It believed that obtaining financial, moral and political support was not enough. The leaders and peoples of the Islamic and Arab world that the Kurds infidels, mercenaries, apostates of Islam must be killed, and to drain their money and property, so as to justify his crimes, and get financial and military support. Regrettably, the tragedies suffered by the Kurdish people have been largely under the eyes of the world's nations, Four days after the bombing of the city of Halabja with chemical weapons, the Conference of the Union of Islamic States was held on 20/3/1988 and was attended by (42) Arab and Islamic countries. The conference discussed various issues and problems of Islamic and Arab countries such as Palestine, Afghanistan, Russia, and the Iraqi-Iranian war ... At the end of the conference, they accused Israel of persecuting the Palestinians ... but they did not find in the Halabja disaster what is most objectionable to them. The Western countries' position on the persecution of the Kurdish people was not more moderate than that of others. They rejected the Kurdish claims and calls that the international community had called for and the relief of the genocide that the Iraqi regime was subjected to. However, they considered these claims exaggerated. In fact, Kurdish opposition flags were unable to reach the truth of the plight of the Kurdish people to the international community, as confirmed by the Middle East Watch, after examining the documents and examining the evidence. The Kurds were not only indisputable, but in many cases they were below the level of the catastrophe that the Kurdish people were suffering from.

Mourning Halabja on Screen: Or Reading Kurdish Politics through Anfal Films

AbstractTowards the end of the decade long Iran–Iraq war, Saddam Hussein launched a deadly attack against the Kurds, known as the Anfal Campaign, killing more than a hundred thousand. One of the largest acts of genocide occurred on 18 March 1988 in the Kurdish city of Halabja. On that day, sweet-smelling poison gas was poured over the city, killing at least five thousand. Since 2001 Kurdish moviemakers have memorialized the tragedy of the Halabja massacre by producing cinematic dramas and narrative documentaries. These films are part of a discourse of authenticity and a politics of culture that permeate the Kurdish independence movement. This essay proposes that Halabja films can be divided into three stages: the era of consolidation, 2000 to 2009; the golden era, 2009 to early 2014; and the fall which followed the fall of Mosul to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. Each era reveals new attitudes towards politics, society, and the massacre.

A Case Study: Effect of Soil-Flexibility on the Seismic Response of Reinforced Concrete Intermediate-Rise Regular Buildings in Halabja City

A Case Study: Effect of Soil-Flexibility on the Seismic Response of Reinforced Concrete Intermediate-Rise Regular Buildings in Halabja City

Evaluation of Some Heavy Metals around the Municipal Solid Waste Disposal Area in Halabja City –Kurdistan Region of Iraq

Handling and disposal of solid waste can be a major environmental problem in
 developing countries. In Kurdistan region of Iraq solid waste is not treated and managed
 properly. It is only collected from the households and disposed on the outskirts of the
 cities as a pile of garbage nearby the agricultural areas, sometime it is burnt or partially
 dumped. The samples were collected monthly starting from May to December 2012
 including ground and surface water, soil and wheat around the solid waste disposal area.
 Heavy metal and metalloid concentrations measured for Zn, As, Cd, Fe, Pb and Ni were
 ( 0.002 – 0.012 ) mg.l-1, ( 0.01 – 0.097 ) mg.l-1, ( 0.002 – 0.003 ) mg.l-1, ( 0.011- 0.079 )
 mg.l-1, ( 0.035 – 0.051 ) mg.l-1and ( 0.004 -0.015 ) mg.l-1 for ground water respectively,
 while (0.003 - 0.009 ) mg.l-1, ( 0.05 – 0.16 ) mg.l-1, ( 0.002 – 0.004 ) mg.l-1, ( 0.051 –
 0.171 ) mg.l-1, ( 0.04 – 0.044 ) mg.l-1, ( 0.021 – 0.022 ) mg.l-1 for surface water
 respectively. However, As and Pb concentration were found to be higher than the
 permissible values recommended by WHO for drinking water quality while the rest were
 below the safe limits. The concentrations of heavy metals and metalloids were found in
 order of Mn> Zn>Cu >Ni> Pb>Cr>As> Cd ( 987 - 1187 mg.kg-1, 225.03 – 915.3mg.kg-1
 , 232.8- 301.1 mg.kg-1, 150.4 – 192.2 mg.kg-1, 76.71 - 193.1 mg.kg-1, 142.2
 – 173.1 mg.kg-1, 14.23 – 20.15 mg.kg-1and 2.317 – 5.712 mg.kg-1 ) which exceed the
 European union standard for Ni, Zn, Cr, Cd, Mn, Cu, while Pb and As were found to be
 within the range of all trace elements for agricultural soils. The range for trace elements
 for wheat samples were 115 mg.kg-1 for Zn, 0.0313 mg.kg-1 for As, 1.2 mg.kg-1 for Cd,
 2.1 mg.kg-1 for Pb, 1.19 mg.kg-1 for Ni and 0.058 mg.kg-1 for Cr.

Can We Forgive Them? Searching for Justice for the Victims of Halabja

In 1987, Saddam Hussein launched, as a part of what was known as the Anfal Operation, which was a brutal military operation on the Kurdish population in northern Iraq, killing hundreds of thousands of civilians. The key actors responsible for the Anfal Operation were tried and executed by the Iraqi High Tribunal in what came to be known as the Anfal Trial. Nonetheless, questions remain as to whether justice was served, specifically in relation to the Kurdish population in the city of Halabja which in 1988 endured a horrific chemical attack that left countless dead. The purpose of this essay is two-fold. Firstly, place the Anfal Operation in the context of postconflict justice, showing the role played by retributive justice and how it failed to provide justice for the people of Halabja. This view stems from a key premise of this contribution, which is that the Anfal and Dujail trials were not really designed to provide justice for Iraq’s Kurdish population. This resulted in the continued alienation of the Kurdish Iraqi population. Secondly, this paper argues that in the reconciliatory justice approach that involves communitybased reparation, which is more attuned to transformative justice is bettered suited to address Kurdish dissatisfaction with the wat the Iraqi States has treated them. A transformative justice approach would not only ensure not only that such crimes are unlikely to happen again but that the victims of Halabja will not be forgotten.

Groundwater potential mapping using remote sensing and GIS-based, in Halabja City, Kurdistan, Iraq

Management of groundwater resources requires modern techniques and scientific principles. Geographic information system (GIS)-based multi-criteria and analytic hierarchy approaches are implemented to identify promising areas for groundwater potential in Halabja city, Kurdistan region. A thematic map of each input factor was produced, derived from various sources including maps of geology, structure, and hydrogeology. The input layers were ranked according to their relative importance in controlling groundwater potential. Each factor is divided into classes based on hydrogeological properties. The classes then are weighted according to their relative importance to groundwater potential. The groundwater potential analysis reveals three distinct zones representing high, moderate, and low groundwater potential in the study area. The delineated groundwater potential map is finally verified using the available extraction rates of 95 wells. Results of such verifications proved that the groundwater potential zones identified by GIS and analytic hierarchy process (AHP) techniques are reliable and representative.

Molecular and Serological Detection of Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever Virus in Sulaimani Province, Iraq

Background: Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV) is a member of the Nairovirus genus in the Bunyaviridae family and is transmitted by ticks of the Hyalomma genus. It causes severe disease in humans with mortality rates between 3% and 30%. The first case in Iraq was reported in 1979; immediately thereafter, 10 cases were reported, resulting in seven deaths. Several cases were also reported in 1980 in Halabja city in Iraq’s Sulaimani province. Methods: Blood samples were collected from two study populations, human and cattle, including butchers working at a slaughterhouse. Ticks were also collected for virus detection from three villages in the Sharazoor district of Sulaimani province. Results: Results of the Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) were negative for all human and cattle sera. The tissue prepared from ticks also was negative for CCHFV. An Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) technique showed that 30 (46.87%) of 64 human sera were positive for the anti-CCHFV IgG antibody. Conclusion: Results show that symptomatic Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is an uncommon disease in the Sulaimani province of Iraq and no clinical cases is reported, due to the eradication of ticks implemented by veterinary authorities. However, other preventive approaches and strategies should be implemented and monitored regularly by local authorities.

Comparative study of four methods for estimating Weibull parameters for Halabja, Iraq

The Weibull distribution is the standard function used by the wind energy community to model the wind speed frequency distribution. In this study, four methods are presented for estimating Weibull parameters (Shape and Scale), namely, Maximum likelihood method (MLM), Rank regression method (RRM), Mean-standard deviation method (MSD), and Power density method (PDM). To compare the methods, a period of 4 years (2001 - 2004) of monthly time series data of Halabja city was considered. Two distinct analytical methods are studied to determine the parameter estimation accuracy of these methods; coefficient of determination and root mean square error (RMSE) are used as measurement tools. The Rank regression and MSDs are recommended to estimate the shape parameter; also the Rank regression is recommended for use with our time series wind data to estimate the scale parameter. Key words: Weibull distribution, parameter estimation, energy pattern factor, accuracy.

NDVI Differencing and Post-classification to Detect Vegetation Changes in Halabja City, Iraq

This study presents vegetation change detecting in Halabja city, Iraq by using Landsat-5Thematic Mapper images. This city was shelled with chemical weapons on 16 March, 1988. The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) image differencing and post–classification techniques were applied. The NDVI was derived first then classified to produce vegetation maps followed by quantifying the changes.The results indicated a drastic decrease in the dense, sparse and moderate vegetation by55%, 7% and 9% respectively. In contrast, the non-vegetation class increased by 5%. This means that, the field and planted areas were at risk of losing vegetation.

Radon concentration measurement in soil for some northen Iraqi's regions by using CR-39 detector

Concentrations of radon were measured in this study for twenty-four samples of soil distributed in six locations on the north part of Iraq. The radon concentrations in soil samples measured by using alpha-emitters registration that emits from Radon (222Rn) in (CR-39) track detector. The concentrations values were calculated by a comparison with standard samples. The results shows that the radon gas concentrations in Darbandikhan City varies from (16.60-34.04 Bq/m3), Halabja City (16.51-23.32 Bq/m3), Al Sulaimaniya City (17.61-32.25 Bq/m3), Koisnjaq City (22.04-35.65 Bq/m3), Shaqlaua City (21.10-29.10 Bq/m3) and Erbil City (22.30-34.63 Bq/m3). The average radon gas concentration in Al Sulaimaniya and Erbil governorate are (22.30 Bq/m3) and (26.17 Bq/m3) respectively. As a conclusion from the study Radon concentration in governorate of Erbil is relatively higher than that in governorate of Al Sulaimaniya.

Radon concentration measurement in soil for some northen Iraqi's regions by using CR-39 detector

Concentrations of radon were measured in this study for twenty-four samples of soil distributed in six locations on the north part of Iraq. The radon concentrations in soil samples measured by using alpha-emitters registration that emits from Radon (222Rn) in (CR-39) track detector. The concentrations values were calculated by a comparison with standard samples. The results shows that the radon gas concentrations in Darbandikhan City varies from (16.60-34.04 Bq/m3), Halabja City (16.51-23.32 Bq/m3), Al Sulaimaniya City (17.61-32.25 Bq/m3), Koisnjaq City (22.04-35.65 Bq/m3), Shaqlaua City (21.10-29.10 Bq/m3) and Erbil City (22.30-34.63 Bq/m3). The average radon gas concentration in Al Sulaimaniya and Erbil governorate are (22.30 Bq/m3) and (26.17 Bq/m3) respectively. As a conclusion from the study Radon concentration in governorate of Erbil is relatively higher than that in governorate of Al Sulaimaniya.

Affan Hamakhan Jafar: treating trauma in northern Iraq

Affan Hamakhan Jafar: treating trauma in northern Iraq