06:14Iraq: 'She was killed in front of me' - Father of 15-year-old girl shot by stray bullet says 'responsibility lies with US' amid 'live-fire drills'
The family of Zainab Essam Majed al-Khazali, a 15-year-old girl killed by a stray bullet in the Abu Ghraib area west of Baghdad last September, spoke to Ruptly about their anguish and battle for accountability, during the run-up to the 20th anniversary of the US military intervention.
"She was a student and at the same time, she was helping me with my work [on the farm]," recalled her father, Issam Majed Farhan al-Khazali. "Like any child in Iraq or the world, she dreamed of finishing school, becoming an engineer or a teacher and realising her aspirations."
"My feeling is like that of every father who lost his daughter, especially that she was killed in front of me. It is a real tragedy," he added.
According to local media reports, Zainab was hit as 'live-fire drills' took place at a military base near Baghdad airport, on September 20, 2022.
US forces withdrew from the country in December 2011, more than 10 years before the incident, and their 'Camp Victory’ base in Baghdad itself was officially handed over to Iraqi authorities.
Many US soldiers remained behind in the country for security purposes and to train Iraqi troops, with others joining in 2014 during the fight against Islamic State.
"We are not sure who is the main suspect and whether the killer was an Iraqi soldier or an American," explained al-Khazali. "But it's definitely a US bullet. I think primarily that the responsibility lies with the US troops, even if the shooter was an Iraqi soldier, they caused us a great deal of pain."
Iraq’s Security Media Cell, an outlet linked to the country’s joint operations command, said at the time that it had opened an investigation into what it called the 'random shooting'.
"The authorities supervising this investigation will... take the necessary legal measures against anyone who is proven to be involved in this incident," the statement read.
Family neighbour, Ammar Anad, recounted the 'screams and gunfire' at the moment Zainab was struck, and claimed that the danger posed by drills taking place in relatively close proximity should’ve been foreseen.
"The Zainab incident is part of previous incidents. We suffer from the shooting field and joint operations. We don't know if they include Iraqi and American forces as the field is behind us," he stated.
"There were more than 14 injuries caused by the shooting field," he continued. "She was killed cowardly and carelessly whether the culprit was the US or Iraqi forces. So we demand [a] deterrent, accountability not only for the soldier who fired while training in the field but also for those who created the field itself, and who ordered to set up this field near the residential area."
The US side has not commented on the shooting or the alleged manoeuvres, and there is no evidence its soldiers were involved in Zainab’s death.
06:14The family of Zainab Essam Majed al-Khazali, a 15-year-old girl killed by a stray bullet in the Abu Ghraib area west of Baghdad last September, spoke to Ruptly about their anguish and battle for accountability, during the run-up to the 20th anniversary of the US military intervention.
"She was a student and at the same time, she was helping me with my work [on the farm]," recalled her father, Issam Majed Farhan al-Khazali. "Like any child in Iraq or the world, she dreamed of finishing school, becoming an engineer or a teacher and realising her aspirations."
"My feeling is like that of every father who lost his daughter, especially that she was killed in front of me. It is a real tragedy," he added.
According to local media reports, Zainab was hit as 'live-fire drills' took place at a military base near Baghdad airport, on September 20, 2022.
US forces withdrew from the country in December 2011, more than 10 years before the incident, and their 'Camp Victory’ base in Baghdad itself was officially handed over to Iraqi authorities.
Many US soldiers remained behind in the country for security purposes and to train Iraqi troops, with others joining in 2014 during the fight against Islamic State.
"We are not sure who is the main suspect and whether the killer was an Iraqi soldier or an American," explained al-Khazali. "But it's definitely a US bullet. I think primarily that the responsibility lies with the US troops, even if the shooter was an Iraqi soldier, they caused us a great deal of pain."
Iraq’s Security Media Cell, an outlet linked to the country’s joint operations command, said at the time that it had opened an investigation into what it called the 'random shooting'.
"The authorities supervising this investigation will... take the necessary legal measures against anyone who is proven to be involved in this incident," the statement read.
Family neighbour, Ammar Anad, recounted the 'screams and gunfire' at the moment Zainab was struck, and claimed that the danger posed by drills taking place in relatively close proximity should’ve been foreseen.
"The Zainab incident is part of previous incidents. We suffer from the shooting field and joint operations. We don't know if they include Iraqi and American forces as the field is behind us," he stated.
"There were more than 14 injuries caused by the shooting field," he continued. "She was killed cowardly and carelessly whether the culprit was the US or Iraqi forces. So we demand [a] deterrent, accountability not only for the soldier who fired while training in the field but also for those who created the field itself, and who ordered to set up this field near the residential area."
The US side has not commented on the shooting or the alleged manoeuvres, and there is no evidence its soldiers were involved in Zainab’s death.