Iraq: More than 30 years after the war, families still hope to find out the fate of their missing loved ones

Although this year marks more than 30 years since the Iraq-Iran war has ended, many families of missing persons are still in limbo, waiting for news of the fate of their loved ones who went missing during the war that lasted for eight years.

The need to know the fate and whereabouts of their loved ones is essential for families of missing persons.  The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) continues its efforts in providing answers to the families of missing persons. The ICRC assists the concerned authorities with their search efforts, supervises the handover of human remains, and facilitates bi-lateral dialogue and exchange of information between Iraq and Iran in its capacity as Chair of the Tripartite Mechanism. This mechanism brings together both Iraq and Iran to clarify the fate of soldiers who went missing during the war. Search and recovery efforts are ongoing to clarify the fate of thousands of missing persons under the umbrella of this mechanism.  

 “On 30 June 2022, a handover of human remains took place in the presence of representatives of the Republic of Iraq and Islamic Republic of Iran, under the auspices of the ICRC. The remains of nine Iraqi soldiers and 36 remains of Iranian soldiers were returned to their respective countries. These human remains belong to soldiers who went missing during the war in the years 1980-1988. The handover ceremony was conducted at Shalamcheh border crossing, near Basra”, said Mustafa Abdul Wahab, ICRC Missing Field Officer.  

The most recent handover of human remains was conducted on 27 February 2022. During 2021, the ICRC supervised a number of ceremonies where the human remains of a100 Iraqi soldiers and 239 Iranian soldiers were repatriated to their respective countries.  

“After almost three decades since the war came to an end, the search for missing persons has not stopped. The ICRC continues its cooperation with the concerned authorities to clarify the fate of missing persons” said Hiba Adnan, spokesperson for the ICRC in Iraq.”

For further information, please contact:
Hiba Adnan (Baghdad): hiadnan@icrc.org +9647901912927

Iman Trabelsi (Beirut): itrabelsi@icrc.org +9613138353

Jason Straziuso (Geneva): jstraziuso@icrc.org +41227302077

SHOTLIST

Length:                   03:53

Location:                 Shalamcha Border crossing, Basra

Camera:                 Mike Khalaf

Date Of Filming:       June 2022

Copyright:               ICRC access all

On Screen Credit:       ICRC written or logo

00:00- 02:00 General shots for the Human Remain Handover

02:00- 02:40 SOUNDBITE Mustafa Ibrahem, ICRC Missing Field Officer, Iraq (in Arabic):

02:00– 02:09

During today’s ceremony, the human remains were repatriated in the presence of representatives of Republic of Iraq represented (i.e., Ministry of Defense) and Islamic Republic of Iran (i.e., Search and Recovery Committee)

02:09– 02:16

Authorities in Republic of Iraq received human remains of 9 Iraqi soldiers were found in Iran territories.

02:16– 02:25

Authorities in Islamic Republic of Iran received human remains of 36 Iranian soldiers were found in Iraq territories.

02:25– 02:35

These soldiers went missing during the war between 1980-1988.

02:35– 02:40

The handover ceremony was conducted at Shalamcheh border crossing, under the auspices of ICRC.  

02:41- 02:50 Hiba Adnan ICRC Spokesperson, Iraq, Soundbite (in Arabic):

02:41– 02:07

“After almost three decades since the war came to an end, the search for missing persons has not stopped.

02:50– 02:57

As ICRC staff, we are now present at Shalamcheh border crossing.

02:57– 03:03

We supervise the handover ceremony in the presence of representatives of Republic of Iraq and Islamic Republic of Iran.

03:03– 03: 11

We assist the concerned authorities with searching efforts for missing persons during the war that lasted for eight years.

03:11– 03:28

We assist the concerned authorities with searching efforts, facilitate exchange of information between Republic of Iraq and Islamic Republic of Iran in this respect, and participate in the handover process.

03:28– 03:35

to provide families of missing persons with answers about their fate.

End