IED event in Duhok, Zahko area, Iraq on Mon 30th August 2021

On Monday, August 30, 2021, at 9 PM an explosion rocked Qadia IDP camp for Yazidis in Zakho, Kurdistan, Iraq. The two caravans of Sheikh Hasan Haider Ma’ao were exploded by TNT. A 50-meter wire was found running from the caravan to a battery hidden behind the wall of a UN organization. Hasan is seriously injured along with others. His one-year-old and nine-year-old children were killed in the explosion. His wife was sitting next door and was not injured, yet all Yazidis suffer with her in her outrage and pain that can never be cured. Hasan is from the al-Smoqi tribe who were displaced from Duguri, Shingal [Sinjar], by Daesh in 2014. He is a high-ranking officer in Kurdistan Asayish (security police) and also the Kurdish KDP political party. He was part of the security force of Qadia camp. His caravan had 4 security cameras that were always working. These cameras could be viewed from the computer screen in the camp security office, according to one friend. Why didn’t Rudaw TV report this in its story? Immediately after the explosion, electricity to the entire camp was cut for 15 minutes and no one was allowed near the caravans. If the history of the cameras is reviewed, investigators will see who was around the caravan. They should be able to see who planted TNT and a wire under the caravan. Earlier in the day of the explosion, the family had been visited by more than 100 guests to pay their condolences for one of his relatives who died from corona virus 40 days ago. A meal held on the 40th day after a death is a tradition in the Middle East. Is it possible that Sheikh Hassan was not the only target of this explosion? Is it possible that the person or persons who committed this crime had intended to kill many more people? The person who planted the explosive device must surely appear in the security camera footage. We demand a proper investigation and review of the camera footage be conducted and reported immediately to the public. Up until today, no one has been allowed to photograph the destroyed caravans as evidence. Yazidis neighbors say Sheikh Hasan was respected, strong, and courageous. He fought in the Iraqi Army in the war against Iran. He is approximately 66 now. During the rule of Saddam Hussein, another Yazidi had killed one of Hasan’s relatives. In revenge, Hasan killed that man, and then escaped. Reportedly, the problem was solved between the families the tribal way. The friend who recounted this history stated today, “Unfortunately, this story will never end . I am really afraid.”