A study released Friday (April 8) urged the Netherlands to apologize for a 2015 airstrike on the Iraqi town of Hawija that killed 85 civilians and stressed that failure to do so could foster the emergence of future terrorist groups.
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The Dutch government had acknowledged in 2019 that 70 people, including civilians and IS fighters, had died as a result of this attack which targeted an ammunition factory on the night of June 2 to 3, 2015. The executive had indicated in a letter to parliament that the targeted factory, which was in an industrial area, contained more explosives than expected, causing extensive collateral damage.
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Damage reported in 6,000 homes
Researchers from the Iraqi NGO Al-Ghad, the peace organization PAX and the University of Utrecht notably conducted interviews with 119 victims and 40 key figures in society such as the mayor of Hawija. in order to map the impact of the attack. Researchers estimate that the attack killed 85 civilians and caused hundreds of serious injuries. Damage was reported to 1,200 businesses and stores, and 6,000 homes.
At the end of 2020, the Dutch government had promised compensation of around 4 million euros for the reconstruction. But according to the study, this commitment has not yet resulted, seven years after the attack, in concrete reconstructions. “The absence of an apology and the actual reconstruction have a major impact on the perception of the inhabitants of Hawijasaid the researchers. “It contributes to anti-Western sentiment and (…) may be fertile ground for a future terrorist organization“, they warned.
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According to the researchers, the victims feel abandoned by the Netherlands and demand an official apology from the Dutch government for the bombing and sufficient compensation to bear the costs caused by the Dutch airstrike. The researchers recommend that Dutch government officials travel to Hawija to provide explanations to the population, offer apologies and offer to repair the damage suffered by the community. The Dutch attack was one of some 34,000 airstrikes carried out by the US-led international coalition on Iraq and Syria, according to the study.
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