VX nerve agent used in Halabja massacre

KUALA LUMPUR: The VX nerve agent used in the murder of Kim Jong-nam on Feb 13 was reported to have been widely used during the Halabja massacre in Iraq by Saddam Hussein in 1988.

According to various news reports, in March 16 of that year, attacking aircraft peppered the Kurdish-Iraqi town of Halabja with canisters of chemical weapons including VX, resulting in the deaths of 3,500 to 5,000 people within minutes.