ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A security officer has died from critical injuries sustained during a scuffle that broke out amid aid distribution efforts in Sulaimani province’s flood-stricken Chamchamal district, a security source confirmed on Saturday.
“A short while ago, Asayish [security] officer Ako Sabit Hamaraza died of his critical wounds at the hospital,” the source told Rudaw.
Hamaraza was shot during a confrontation on Friday as security forces were overseeing the distribution of aid to residents affected by this week’s devastating floods. Two other security personnel were also injured in the incident and are currently receiving medical treatment.
The Chamchamal mayorship extended its condolences to Hamaraza’s family.
According to Atta Mohammed, head of a service and reconstruction commission formed for Chamchamal, the altercation began when an individual broke the queue of flood-affected residents waiting to receive aid.
“Someone attempted to cause trouble by breaking the queue and attacking a security officer,” Mohammed said. “He was removed from the area, but another individual close to him later approached the crowd with a rifle and opened fire on security forces."
Mohammed accused the suspect of being “a Peshmerga associated with Abdullah Kwekha Mubarak,” a local figure in Chamchamal.
Mubarak denied the accusations, warning against what he described as defamatory claims.
“I hope these statements were not intended to create false accusations, because the truth is that the incident occurred due to Peshmerga members who did not comply with the security measures during aid distribution,” he said.
He added that “the two Peshmerga members went with their mothers and families to receive aid and had no prior conflicts with security personnel.”
Flash floods swept through parts of the Kurdistan Region’s eastern Sulaimani province on Tuesday, killing at least two people in Chamchamal and causing widespread damage to homes and infrastructure.
Numerous local and international charities have launched relief efforts in the district, distributing essential supplies and assisting residents with cleanup and repairs.
Aid providers include the Erbil-based Rwanga Foundation, Barzani Charity Foundation, Kurdistan Foundation, and Haji Idrees Surchi Charity Foundation, as well as the Sulaimani-based VIM Foundation, SEED Organization, Kurdistan Save the Children, Civil Development Organization (CDO), the Iraqi Red Crescent Society, the Kurdistan Region’s migration and displaced directorate, and several other organizations.