Boy, 4, dies in hospital after 'heartbreak' over Asayesh father's killing

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — The son of an Asayesh (Kurdistan Region internal security forces) member killed in an ISIS attack last month died in hospital on Sunday due to what family members have called “heartbreak” over his father’s on duty death.

Bryar, aged 4, had been living with Type 1 diabetes. His condition is said to have worsened dramatically after the death of his father, Aso, who was killed in an ISIS mortar shell attack in Kolajo, near the town of Kifri, on July 31.

He died early on Sunday evening while receiving specialist care at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Sulaimani’s Shar Hospital.

According to Shar Hospital doctor Yad Naqshbandi, “Bryar’s blood sugar had risen dramatically, probably because of the trauma he had suffered after his father was martyred.” 

Bryar's mother rushed him to the hospital on Friday morning, after finding him foaming at the mouth while suffering a brain haemorrage.

“He kept complaining of shoulder pain, asking me to massage his shoulder. Then he slept for a bit. I woke up around 6:00 am only to see him moaning in pain. He had white and black foam in his mouth and his tongue was under his teeth,” Haifa Ismael, Bryar’s mother, told Rudaw at Shar Hospital on Friday before her son died.

“We immediately took him to Shorsh Hospital [a free hospital for Peshmerga, other security force members and their families], where he was later referred here,” Ismael added.

Relatives say Bryar and Aso were best friends, leaving Bryar inconsolable upon his death.

“Because he [Bryar] was very attached to his father, he was asking to speak live on camera with him every day,” Ary Jalal, Bryar's uncle, told Rudaw.

“We then took Bryar to the graveyard and told him that his father was buried there, but his soul had gone back to the sky. He became very frail after that and his appetite diminished. He was saying ‘Leave me alone. Let me die, too,’” Jalal added.

Deputy Prime Minister Mr. Qubad (Talabani) of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) had contacted the hospital’s General Manager by phone, asking him to provide Bryar with the best available medical care, or to send him abroad for treatment if necessary.