ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The remains of a 20-year-old man from Sulaimani, who was killed during the Iran-Iraq war in Basra, have been returned to his family after a search spanning over three decades.
Soran Ibrahim discovered his brother’s name, Jabbar, on a list of victims from the Iran-Iraq war shared on social media. He contacted the page, run by individuals in Basra, who confirmed that the name matched their records. They also had copies of the brother's identity card, which had been found in his pocket after his death.
Soran’s brother was 18 years old when he joined the Iraqi army and was killed at the age of 20. According to surviving comrades, he was shot by a sniper in the foot and could not be carried to safety.
“You must leave; I am done. Do not wait for me,” Soran said his brother had told his comrades.
Soran recalled that his father, who was illiterate, had traveled to Basra numerous times searching for his son.
The family finally collected the remains on Friday.
The Iran-Iraq war, which ran from 1980 to 1988, was a prolonged and devastating conflict. The war saw the use of trench warfare, chemical weapons, and attacks on civilian populations.
Jabbar’s remains were located in a mass grave. Soran said his brother had gone to battle towards the final stages of the war. According to Soran, the International Red Cross and volunteers uncovered the mass grave in 2015.