Search and rescue mission concludes at Iranian missile strike site; housekeeper still missing
At least 300 civil defense members took part in the eight-long mission.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – The Civil Defense forces of the Kurdistan Region’s Erbil on Tuesday concluded their search and rescue mission over a week following the deadly Iranian missile strikes on a private residence in the Kurdish capital, where at least four people were killed. A Filipino housekeeper has gone missing since then.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on January 15 attacked the private residence of Peshraw Dizayee, a renowned Kurdish businessman, who was killed along with his 11-month-old daughter, a guest – another businessman – and a housekeeper.
The Iranian military accused the late businessman of having worked with Mossad, the Israeli intelligence agency, an allegation that has been vehemently rejected by Erbil and Baghdad authorities, describing it as “baseless”.
Following eight days of intensive search and rescue mission at the collapsed mansion on Erbil-Masif Road, the capital’s Civil Defense team on Tuesday announced the conclusion of the mission.
No trace of another Filipino housekeeper, who was believed to have died in the attack, has been found, Karwan Ali, the spokesperson for the search and rescue team, told reporters.
“A few body parts have been collected at the site, and they are being investigated for identification,” he added.
At least 300 civil defense members took part in the eight-long mission.
The Iraqi National Security Advisor Qassem Al-Araji and an Iraqi parliamentary investigation team similarly announced that the targeted place was a “family residence”, rejecting the allegations.
Human Rights Watch on Monday said Iran’s attack had only killed civilians in the house.
Read More: Impunity for Iran’s killings of civilians will lead to more unlawful attacks: HRW
This is not the first time that Iran has targeted the private residences of Kurdish businessmen through ballistic missiles.
In early 2022, the country fired a salvo of missiles at the mansion of Sheikh Baz, an oil tycoon, alleging the site was a “Mossad spy center”, a claim that had been widely rejected by the KRG and Iraqi government. International condemnation of the attack followed later.