Iraqi forces in Kirkuk kill civilian family of nine reportedly mistaken for ISIS
Graves of the family members reportedly killed by Iraqi forces in Kirkuk's Daquq District, July 25, 2019. (Photo: Kurdistan 24)
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Iraqi federal forces at one of their checkpoints in the disputed province of Kirkuk reportedly killed a family of nine after opening fire on their car at night, mistaking them for Islamic State militants, a source said on Thursday.
The incident took place on Wednesday night after the family returned from visiting a sick relative in Dara Village near Haftaghar, located in the Daquq District, the source told Kurdistan 24 on condition of anonymity.
“Iraqi forces at the security checkpoint opened fire on their vehicle thinking they were targeting Da’esh [ISIS], but it then turned out they were civilians,” the source added.
The incident claimed the lives of nine members of that family, with only a two-year-old child surviving the ordeal, the source said.
Graves of the family members at a cemetery in Daquq, July 25, 2019. (Photo: Kurdistan 24)
There have been no statements yet from Iraqi security forces on the incident.
The shooting happened shortly after four unidentified mortar shells landed inside the Haftaghar area, which initially wounded a Kurdish family, two of the men and their mother who eventually succumbed to her injuries, a health source noted.
Over the past years, the region has witnessed increasing instability and insecurity with the Islamic State sleeper cells often carrying out insurgency, ambushes, and kidnappings despite Iraq announcing the military defeat of the group in late 2017.
Senior Kurdish military officials have repeatedly warned about the resurgence of the jihadist group in the disputed territories, which the Iraqi forces and Shia militias took over since October 2017.
Editing by Nadia Riva
(Additional reporting by Hemin Dalo)
