Iraq says to hand over samples of human remains to Kuwait
Representational photo.
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – The Iraqi Defense Ministry said Monday it would hand over to Kuwaiti authorities samples of human remains that were recently found in southern Iraq and might belong to missing Kuwaiti citizens.
The remains were found in two locations near Nuqrat Al-Salman area in southern Al-Muthanna Governorate, KUNA quoted the ministry as saying in a statement.
Cooperation between Iraq, Kuwait and the International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) contributed to discovery of the remains, it added.
The ministry said the remains were exhumed and sent to a laboratory in Baghdad to examine if they match DNA samples of families of missing Kuwaitis.
On June 20, a joint statement by ICRC-affiliated Tripartite Commission announced the recovery of the remains, offering hope for families of missing people from 1990-91 Gulf War. Kuwait and Iraq are the other Commission members.
Kuwait Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-hamad Al-Sabah expressed hope that the remains would “belong to Kuwaiti citizens.”
Kuwait, he added, was awaiting “important positive developments” that would achieve concrete progress on the ground in order to end over 28 years of suffering of families of the missing.