Peshmerga fighter dies in car crash near Mawaran Tunnel

SORAN – A vehicle rollover on the Shaqlawa-Soran road near Mawaran Tunnel early Monday morning resulted in the death of a Peshmerga member and serious injuries to another. The Peshmerga serves as the official military force of the Kurdistan Region.

A traffic department officer in Shaqlawa reported to 964 media that the incident occurred around 7:00 a.m. The vehicle, identified as a Honda Elantra, reportedly lost control before reaching the tunnel, rolled over, and resulted in immediate fatality for one passenger and significant injuries for the driver.

Mohamed Sheikh Hassan, director of Shaqlawa Hospital’s administration, confirmed the hospital received one deceased and one injured following the accident. “It was purely a traffic accident,” Hassan clarified.

The names of the individuals involved were not immediately released. Further details about the cause of the rollover and ongoing investigations were not available at the time of reporting.

In 2023, traffic accidents were the leading cause of death in the governorate, with 140 fatalities, according to the Sulaymaniyah Traffic Directorate. The directorate noted that traffic incidents accounted for nearly a quarter of the 592 total deaths examined by their forensic team. More than 83% of those who died in road accidents were male.

Overall, Iraq, excluding the Kurdistan Region, reported over 3,262 traffic fatalities in 2023, a figure nearly identical to the previous year’s, the Ministry of Planning noted. Collisions were the most common type of accident, accounting for 56.4% of cases, with driver error being the leading cause in 79% of these incidents. Other contributing factors included vehicle issues, road conditions, and pedestrian and passenger behavior.

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