Iraqi PM visits Babil family which lost 20 members during police raid
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi on Wednesday visited the family which lost 20 members when police raided their house in Babil province late December. The government has acknowledged that the mass killing took place due to inaccurate intel.
The 20 people, which included children, were massacred in al-Rashayed village in Babil (Babylon) province last Thursday. The sister of Rahim Kazem al-Ghurairi, the wanted man accused of killing his extended family, told Rudaw on Friday that the security forces had killed the family members rather than her brother.
Kadhimi acknowledged on Monday that inaccurate intelligence information caused the massacre, saying that 14 people have been detained and several security officials have been removed from their positions.
The PM attended the mourning ceremony of the family in their village on Wednesday, telling the family that the incident was “heartbreaking.”
“What happened is a heartbreaking real massacre. Criminals who are hiding under the cover of state institutions and committing a heinous crime cannot be tolerated,” Kadhimi said as quoted by his office.
He added that his cabinet was quick to act against those who were involved in the mass killing, adding that he has assigned the National Security Advisor Qasim al-Araji to “prepare a plan to make reforms in the work of security institutions to fill the loopholes.”
In his Monday comments, Kadhimi blamed “the defect in the security system that allowed the transmission of inaccurate intelligence information for personal purposes, causing the death of innocent people.”
Saad Maan, media officer for the Iraqi interior ministry, told state media on Sunday that if convicted the 14 detainees could be executed as per law.
The head of Babil police as well as the directors of Babil and Jableh intelligences have been dismissed and they have been referred to immediate investigation.
The 20 people, which included children, were massacred in al-Rashayed village in Babil (Babylon) province last Thursday. The sister of Rahim Kazem al-Ghurairi, the wanted man accused of killing his extended family, told Rudaw on Friday that the security forces had killed the family members rather than her brother.
Kadhimi acknowledged on Monday that inaccurate intelligence information caused the massacre, saying that 14 people have been detained and several security officials have been removed from their positions.
The PM attended the mourning ceremony of the family in their village on Wednesday, telling the family that the incident was “heartbreaking.”
“What happened is a heartbreaking real massacre. Criminals who are hiding under the cover of state institutions and committing a heinous crime cannot be tolerated,” Kadhimi said as quoted by his office.
He added that his cabinet was quick to act against those who were involved in the mass killing, adding that he has assigned the National Security Advisor Qasim al-Araji to “prepare a plan to make reforms in the work of security institutions to fill the loopholes.”
In his Monday comments, Kadhimi blamed “the defect in the security system that allowed the transmission of inaccurate intelligence information for personal purposes, causing the death of innocent people.”
Saad Maan, media officer for the Iraqi interior ministry, told state media on Sunday that if convicted the 14 detainees could be executed as per law.
The head of Babil police as well as the directors of Babil and Jableh intelligences have been dismissed and they have been referred to immediate investigation.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi arrives in Babil to attend the funeral of the twenty members of a family killed in the area's al-Rashayed village last week. On Monday, Kadhimi blamed inaccurate intelligence information for the massacre.
— Rudaw English (@RudawEnglish) January 5, 2022
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