Reply #6: Kurds go on rampage in Iraq

[ECH1969]

Thousands of angry Kurdish demonstrators went on a rampage Thursday and badly damaged a monument to 5,000 residents killed in a poison gas attack on the city by the Iraqi army 18 years ago.

Police fired live ammunition into the air, killing one person and wounding at least eight, in a bid to stop the mayhem by residents, angry over what they see as the regional government's failure to rebuild the area.

The demonstrators marched through the streets of Halabja chanting: "Down, down with the government.

In addition to killing an estimated 5,000 residents, Iraqi poison gas bombs left nearly 10,000 wounded and suffering after-affects. The attack was part of a campaign to crush a Kurdish rebellion in northern Iraq.

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