Latest news with #Shiite
Boston Globe
5 hours ago
- Politics
- Boston Globe
‘Horrific Fire' kills at least 61 at Iraq shopping mall
According to Habib al-Badri, the head of the province's security committee, an electric malfunction sparked the fire. But he said poor building practices and an unprepared rescue service had worsened the casualty toll. Advertisement 'There was a lack of emergency exits and emergency ladders and extinguishers. And unfortunately the province was not prepared for such an incident,' he said in an interview. 'We hope what happened will be a lesson for the future.' Muntadher Haidar lost his wife and 2-year-old son in the fire. He told a local television channel that he had spoken with his wife when she was trapped inside the mall with their child as flames engulfed the shopping center. 'She said, 'Forgive me, your son died in my arms, and the fire has reached me, goodbye,'' he told the interviewer, sobbing. " I couldn't reach them, I was outside — and I couldn't." Advertisement 'Then the line was cut?' the interviewer asked him. Haidar nodded, saying: 'And then the line was cut.' Some political leaders in Iraq moved quickly to cite the fire as another devastating consequence of pervasive corruption in the country. Many regional analysts argue that corruption is a legacy of the US occupation of Iraq, when money was widely dispersed for construction projects and contracts with poor oversight. And many Iraqis complain that graft has only worsened in the years since. Poorly constructed or unfinished building projects — often attributed to corruption — are common. Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, Iraq's prime minister, said in a statement Thursday that the tragedy in Kut was 'a form of murder and corruption that is not limited to the embezzlement of funds alone,' but that it 'also relates to the laxity and disregard for the technical and administrative procedures required for safety protocols.' Muqtada al-Sadr, an influential Shiite cleric and political leader in Iraq, offered condolences in a separate statement. 'This tragedy adds to the tragedies and suffering of the Iraqi people as a result of so many forms of corruption and repeated neglect,' he said. The country's commission of federal integrity, an independent body that deals with government accountability, highlighted what it said were shortcomings in the initial response to the fire by the Interior Ministry's rescue services, saying in a statement that it would also investigate the blaze. Iraq's prime minister announced three days of mourning, and the governor of Wasit province, Mohammad al-Mayahy, said he would pursue legal action against the mall's owners. 'We will not show leniency toward those who were directly or indirectly responsible for this incident, which is surrounded by suspicious circumstances,' the governor said. Advertisement It was not immediately clear who owned the building. Video footage from the aftermath, verified by The New York Times, showed the building covered in ash that blanketed larger pieces of debris. By Thursday afternoon, some families of the victims had taken their dead to the city of Najaf, home to the 'Valley of Peace' cemetery where many members of Iraq's Shiite Muslim majority seek to be buried. Hussein Faiq, a student at the University of Kut, said he lost six relatives in the blaze. The youngest victims were 3 and 4 years old, he said, and the oldest were his grandparents, who were in their 50s. 'One of the bodies was burned, but the rest died from suffocation,' he said. The fire at the mall is the latest in a list of deadly blazes in Iraq in recent years that have raised questions about safety protocols and preparedness. In 2023, more than 100 people were killed when a blaze tore through a wedding hall. In 2021, two separate fires at hospitals that were treating COVID patients killed at least 174 people. In both cases, investigators found that the buildings had failed to adhere to basic safety standards. The wedding hall, which contained highly flammable material, lacked fire exits or extinguishers. And the front door of one of the hospital wards was padlocked, fire trucks ran out of water, and sprinklers malfunctioned. This article originally appeared in
Arab Times
8 hours ago
- Politics
- Arab Times
Kuwait Court Confirms Not Guilty Verdict In ISIS Affiliation Charges
KUWAIT CITY, July 17: The Second Circuit of the Court of Appeals, headed by Judge Nasr Salem Al-Haid with Judges Saud Al- Sanea and Tariq Metwally as members, upheld the acquittal of three Tunisians of belonging to the terrorist organization ISIS on Wednesday. The Public Prosecution had earlier charged the three Tunisians with joining ISIS, pledging allegiance to the leaders of the organization, and planning to bomb Shiite mosques and Husainiyats in Kuwait and kill the worshippers therein. Case files indicate that the accused were trained in making firecrackers before being arrested by the State Security officers at the Ministry of Interior. The Criminal Court acquitted the defendants, based on the prevailing legal and jurisprudential principle that punishment is not imposed for the stage of contemplating and reflecting on a crime. This is because as long as the intention remains within the mind and has not been revealed to the outside world, it poses no harm or danger. It stated that the investigations and documents were devoid of any evidence that would prove the defendants' participation in the organization, and that despite their knowledge of the purpose for which this organization works, that is not sufficient to establish the crime of joining a banned organization, which is the subject of the accusation. It pointed out that this crime does not occur simply by the defendants meeting and repeating the pledge of allegiance to the leaders of the organization in their homes.
Shafaq News
12 hours ago
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Kut inferno kills 70: Iraq demands answers and UN offers aid
Shafaq News – Kut The United Nations expressed deep sorrow on Thursday over the tragic fire that tore through a major commercial center in the city of Kut, killing at least 70 people—many of them women and children—and injuring dozens more. Mohamed El Hassan, the UN Secretary-General's Special Representative for Iraq, offered condolences to the families of the victims and pledged humanitarian support. 'With great sadness, we received news of the horrific human tragedy in Kut caused by the devastating fire,' El Hassan said in a statement. 'We stand in solidarity with the people of Wasit province and express our heartfelt sympathy to the bereaved families.' He emphasized the urgent need to prioritize the protection of human life and confirmed the UN mission's readiness to support relief efforts. — UNAMI (@UNIraq) July 17, 2025 Meanwhile, Iraq's Coordination Framework, the leading Shiite political alliance, issued a statement calling for a 'swift and transparent investigation' into the cause of the fire and for those responsible to be held accountable. It also urged a comprehensive review of safety protocols across commercial and public institutions. 'The role of executive and oversight bodies must be reinforced to safeguard lives and property,' the statement read, warning against negligence in applying fire safety and emergency regulations.
Rudaw Net
12 hours ago
- Politics
- Rudaw Net
Iraq holds nationwide mourning after mall blaze kills 61
Also in Iraq At least 50 killed, dozens missing in Iraq shopping mall fire Iraqi PM inaugurates Mosul airport on anniversary of city's liberation from ISIS Cardinal Sako urges Iraqi PM to halt 'violations' against Christian sites in Najaf Senior KDP, PUK figures to meet Iraqi PM amid financial crisis A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The death toll from a devastating fire that tore through a shopping mall in eastern Iraq has risen to 61, according to local authorities, with state media reporting that dozens of people remain missing. The tragic incident has sparked widespread reactions from both Iraqi and Kurdish leaders. "With profound grief and sorrow, we have followed the painful tragedy that resulted from the horrific fire in a commercial center in the city of Kut,' Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani said in a post on X, expressing condolences and wishing for a swift recovery of the wounded. The state-run Iraqi News Agency (INA) reported on Thursday that a blaze swept through the Hypermarket Mall in al-Kut, the provincial capital of Wasit, leaving dozens dead and missing. Iraq's supreme Shiite religious authority, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, on Thursday extended 'deepest condolences and sincere sympathy' to the families of the victims who are 'grieving the loss of their loved ones,' while also wishing for a swift recovery for the injured. Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid conveyed "great sorrow" over the incident and expressed "profound condolences and sympathy to the victims' families.' Pointing to 'the recurrence of such unfortunate incidents' in Iraq, Rashid urged 'an immediate investigation into the incident, to understand its circumstances, and to hold the negligent accountable." The Iraqi president underlined the importance of addressing broader safety issues, calling on the relevant authorities to "follow up on occupational safety procedures and enforce compliance.' In a post on his official Facebook page, Wasit Governor Muhammad Jamil al-Miahi declared 'three days of mourning for the souls lost' and added that lawsuits have been filed against the mall and building owners, as well as 'everyone involved.' 'We assure the innocent victims that we will not tolerate those who were a direct or indirect cause of this incident,' Miahi added, promising preliminary results from the investigation within 48 hours. Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani on the same day dispatched the interior minister to the scene to launch an 'on-the-ground' and 'immediate investigation into the circumstances surrounding' the deadly shopping mall fire in Kut. Sudani demanded "a precise technical inquiry to uncover any negligence and to take all necessary and strict measures to prevent the recurrence of such incidents." In response, the Interior Minister Abdul Amir al-Shammari formed a high-level committee to "identify shortcomings with precision and transparency," pledging that the ministry "will not be lenient" in holding those responsible accountable. In a statement, the interior ministry also stated that the number of fatalities from the devastating blaze had reached 61 victims, who mostly died from suffocation. Fourteen charred bodies were also uncovered, and 45 people were rescued. Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani also expressed his condolences to the victims of the fire, saying he was 'deeply saddened' by the tragedy, adding that the Region's health ministry and institutions 'are ready to treat the injured and provide any necessary assistance.' Sulaimani Governor Haval Abubakir also offered condolences on behalf of the province, expressing 'sympathy for the tragedy' and wishing a swift recovery for those injured. Esmaeil Baqaei, spokesperson for the Iranian foreign ministry, offered his country's "heartfelt condolences" to the families of the victims. Fires are a recurring threat in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, where enforcement of fire and safety regulations is often inadequate. The risk increases significantly during the summer months, when extreme heat exacerbates the potential for electrical faults and other fire hazards. Contributing factors include aging infrastructure, overcrowded public spaces, poor electrical systems, and a widespread lack of basic fire safety measures.
Time of India
a day ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Mideast crisis: 'We bombed the hell out of Iran,' says Donald Trump; 'they wanna negotiate badly'
US President on Wednesday said that Iran wanted to "negotiate badly" recounting how the States "bombed the hell" of the middle eastern nations during its war with Israel. "They wanna negotiate badly. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now We're in no rush. They should have made a deal, and then we bombed the HELL out of their various places," he said. Last month, Trump had announced a 'complete and total' ceasefire between Iran and Israel, claiming both sides had agreed to end the 12-day conflict. This came after the US sided with Israel and threatened Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei's life and hold on power. Following this, Iran's top Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirazi issued a fatwa against Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu. The decree labeled them 'mohareb', enemies of God, for threatening Iran's leadership and Islamic unity. Under Iranian law, mohareb can face severe punishments, including execution or banishment.
