June 2015, Dutch F-16s bombed an ISIS Vehicle-Borne Improvised Explosives Devices factory in Hawijah, Iraq. Secondary explosions caused by the airstrike killed at least 70 civilians and wounded hundreds more. Subhan Al Jabouri, Hawaijah’s mayor explains how the bombardment still affects the daily life in the city: ”The horror of this strike had a profound psychological effect on the psyche of the victims, as it led to the death of dozens of families and the injury of hundreds. Some families were completely wiped out, others lost at least three or four family members.”
Airwars and PAX interviewed Hawijah mayor Subhan Al Jabouri for their latest joint report Seeing through the rubble: The civilian impact of the use of explosive weapons in the fight against ISIS. Through email he elaborated on the direct, indirect and reverberating effects of the attack.
Today, the city is still recovering. From the impact the ISIS occupation and anti-ISIS Coalition have had on his city, that extends beyond the place and time of the attacks. Subhan Al Jabouri: “The absence of direct health care and the inability of the people to help their families and watch them die under the rubble induced trauma for the people. This is in addition to the loss of their homes, properties and sources of income and their experiences of being displaced.”
Read the interview in English here
Read the interview in Arabic here
Read the report Seeing through the rubble: The civilian impact of the use of explosive weapons in the fight against ISIS here