Iran-Iraq: Repatriation of remains of soldiers killed during the 1980-1988 war

Baghdad/Tehran (ICRC) – The remains of nearly 250 Iraqi and Iranian soldiers were repatriated today at the Shalamjah border crossing, near Basra, under the auspices of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

Twenty years after the end of the war, tens of thousands of members of the Iraqi and Iranian armed forces, including some who were prisoners of war, remain unaccounted for.

The remains of a total of 41 Iranian soldiers, 10 of whom are identified, and of 200 Iraqis, 23 of whom are identified, were handed over to their respective authorities in the presence of ICRC delegates acting as neutral intermediaries on both sides of the border.

The bodies of the Iraqi soldiers were taken to Al Zubeir centre run by the Iraqi Ministry of Human Rights, in Basra, where they will be handed over to their families following examinations by forensic experts. The bodies of the Iranian soldiers will be transferred to the Mearaj Centre of Iran's search and recovery committee for those missing in action, in Tehran, to be identified and handed over to the families concerned.

"The return of the bodies is important for the families of the dead and an essential element in the process of dealing with the past," said Jamila Hammami, an ICRC delegate in charge of the missing persons file for Iraq, who was present at the handover of the bodies. "These families have been expecting the return of their loved ones for a very long time. They never lost hope and today maybe some of them will finally find peace."

The operation was carried out as a goodwill gesture following the signature by the Iraqi and Iranian governments of a framework memorandum of understanding in Geneva in October. The document, signed jointly with the ICRC, aimed to clarify the fate of persons missing in connection with the 1980-1988 war. It established a clear framework for collecting information and sharing it between the two countries, and for handing over mortal remains. These tasks are performed jointly by experts from both countries with ICRC support.

"We welcome this important step," said Ms Hammami. "The ICRC will continue to help Iran and Iraq to provide answers for many families on both sides still waiting for information on what happened to their missing relatives."

For further information, please contact:

Hicham Hassan,
ICRC Iraq, tel. +962 777 399 614
Katayoon Hossein Nejad,
ICRC Tehran, tel. +98 21 88 78 67 23 or +98 912 146 00 34
Dorothea Krimitsas,
ICRC Geneva, tel. +41 22 730 25 90 or +41 79 251 93 18

(Source: ICRC Iran-Iraq: Repatriation of remains of soldiers killed during the 1980-1988 war)