Surgeon arrested under suspicion of killing wife and in-laws in family home

ERBIL — A well-known surgeon in Erbil has been arrested under suspicion of fatally shooting of his wife, her parents, and her sister during a family gathering on Thursday night in a killing that has sent shockwaves through the medical community.

The suspect, Dr. Sirwan Mahmoud, a general surgeon and director of a private hospital in Erbil, allegedly committed the crime over a family dispute.

Authorities said Mahmoud entered his in-laws’ home in the Farmanbaran neighborhood in Erbil and opened fire with a pistol, killing his wife, Dr. Sana Kamal, a gynecologist; his sister-in-law, Dr. Sanaria Kamal, a radiologist; his father-in-law, Kamal Khideri, a retired teacher; and his mother-in-law, Sabahat Zaher.

According to a statement from the Kurdistan Region Security Directorate, Mahmoud was arrested soon after the attack. “Following a shooting incident in the Fermanbaran neighborhood, our teams identified the suspect, a doctor, who killed his wife, father-in-law, mother-in-law, and sister-in-law over a family dispute,” the statement read. “The suspect was arrested along with the firearm, two magazines, and several bullets.”

The Kamal family had gathered for their usual Thursday night dinner, a long-standing tradition.

According to family members, the suspect arrived at the home already armed. Dr. Harem Kamal, the victims’ brother, later recounted the details of the attack on Facebook, saying that Mahmoud first ordered Sana, his wife, to go back with him to their home. “She refused,” Harem wrote. “Sana, my eldest sister, a devoted doctor who cared deeply for everyone, was shot first. Sanaria, always the one to protect us, tried to stop him. He shot her, too. Then he shot my mother, Sabahat, the heart of our home. My father, a respected teacher for 40 years, tried to defend our family but was also killed.”

Kamal also revealed that his young niece and nephew, Lavin and Karin, witnessed the massacre. “Lavin and Karin were there, but the bullets missed them,”

On Friday, the four victims were laid to rest side by side in Erbil’s Kasnazan cemetery. Their deaths have left in shock the Kurdistan Region’s medical and academic communities, where the Kamal sisters were highly regarded.

Dr. Sana Kamal was a specialist in obstetrics and gynecology at Erbil Maternity Hospital and a faculty member at the College of Medicine. Her sister, Dr. Sanaria Kamal, was a radiologist and a postgraduate student specializing in diagnostic imaging at Rizgari Teaching Hospital. The Kurdistan Regional Government’s Health Ministry expressed condolences to the victims’ families, calling Sana a “dedicated doctor and educator” and Sanaria “a compassionate radiologist and mentor.”

Dr. Sirwan Mahmoud, the suspect, was a specialist in general surgery and the director of a private hospital in Erbil. Investigators believe that a ‘family dispute’ was at the root of the killings, though no official details on the motive have been disclosed.

Witnesses in the neighborhood said they heard gunshots followed by screams. Security forces responded, cordoning off the area and launching an immediate manhunt, which led to Mahmoud’s arrest.