Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Fuad Hussein on Tuesday, May 27, told reporters that a delegation has been sent to Tehran to investigate the fate of the missing children of Halabja.

He spoke to reporters on the sidelines of the Regional Expert Meeting on Missing Persons in the Middle East and North Africa in Baghdad, which was also attended by local and international officials and representatives of humanitarian organizations, including from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).

In 1988, the regime of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein carried out a cruel and vicious attack on the Kurdish town of Halabja, killing an estimated 5,000 civilians and injuring more than 10,000. Furthermore, many children were separated from their families and are still missing today.

Reportedly,  211 children went missing. So far, 10 have been found, and the search continues to determine the fate of the rest.

Minister Hussein also emphasized that both the KRG and the federal government, along with international organizations, are continuing their efforts to find the Yezidis that are still missing after the defeat of ISIS – especially the Yezidi women who were abducted and taken to Syria.

On August 3, 2014, more than 5,000 Yezidis were killed and buried in 100 mass graves by ISIS, while over 6,400 women and children were abducted. The fate of 2,596 individuals remains unknown.