Earlier this week, the Dutch Minister of Defense Ruben Brekelmans traveled to Hawija, Iraq, to offer his apology and condolences to several survivors of the Dutch airstrike on the city. In June 2015, the Dutch military launched an airstrike against an Islamic State VBIED factory, which led to a large secondary explosion, wiping away entire neighbourhoods and resulting in the deaths of at least 85 civilians.
According to PAX’s project lead for Protection of Civilians in Iraq, ‘the Netherlands sending senior leadership to Hawija to make an in-person apology is a great step forward in demonstrating willingness to take responsibility and accountability.’
In 2025, following the publication of a highly critical report by the independent commission-Sorgdrager, the MoD first offered this apology and announced that it would explore options for community-level response projects at a cost of ca. 10 million euros. PAX and Ashor research found that previous efforts by the Dutch government to make amends for the airstrike’s impact had largely failed to address the needs of survivors, in part because they and other local stakeholders had not been meaningfully consulted in the development and implementation of these projects.
This visit by top Dutch leadership to Hawija hopefully signals that the Netherlands is willing to take a more consultative approach to the new projects, and is applauded by PAX.
Over ten years Hawija
The bombing of Hawija took place more than 10 years ago. Last year, we published an overview of the events since the bombing in 2015.
