Iran/Iraq: search for war missing yields new results
| Publisher | International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) |
| Publication Date | 15 February 2012 |
| Cite as | International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Iran/Iraq: search for war missing yields new results, 15 February 2012, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/4f3f79f52.html [accessed 19 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
The mission, carried out between 27 January and 14 February, was the second in three months to take place on Iraqi soil under the auspices of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
"The Iraqi authorities, including their Ministry of Human Rights, and the Iranian authorities worked together closely to locate and exhume the human remains," said Dika Dulic, from the ICRC delegation in Iraq. "Once the remains have been identified, the families will finally know what happened to their missing relatives and will be able to mourn them."
"The representatives of both countries reiterated their commitment to continue the search and to plan more such joint missions in the coming months," added Joana Durao, from the ICRC delegation in Iran. "They also agreed to have the remains of 21 Iranian soldiers repatriated before the end of February."
In 2008, Iran, Iraq and the ICRC set up a tripartite process aimed at clarifying what happened to those still missing. Since then, the Iranian and Iraqi authorities have accounted for some 2,500 missing persons, and the remains of 407 soldiers have been returned to their home countries.
In its capacity as a neutral intermediary, the ICRC provides support for the efforts of the Iranian and Iraqi authorities to account for those who went missing during the 1980-1988 war and to ease the suffering of their families.
