After 38 years, remains of missing Iraqi soldier identified and returned to family in Sulaymaniyah

SULAYMANIYAH — After nearly four decades of uncertainty, the remains of Jabar Ibrahim Majid, an Iraqi soldier who went missing during the Iran-Iraq war, have been identified and returned to his family in Sulaymaniyah.

Jabar Ibrahim Majid, born on July 1, 1966, in the village of Garadey, part of the Sitak sub-district in the Chwarta district of Sulaymaniyah governorate, lost his life on Oct. 2, 1986, during the Battle of Faw which was a key Iran-Iraq War clash where Iran seized the Faw Peninsula, cutting Iraq’s access to the Persian Gulf. Despite fierce counterattacks, Iraq failed to retake it, until it took back during the Second Battle of Faw in April 1988.

His brother, Soran Ibrahim, spoke about the decades of unanswered questions: “For 38 years, we had no idea whether my brother was alive or dead. There was no information about him at all. But two weeks ago, a breakthrough came unexpectedly while scrolling through TikTok.”

Soran recounted how he discovered Jabar’s name on a list titled “Names of Martyrs from Al-Zubair Cemetery.” The list, containing over 600 names in alphabetical order, led him to a phone number linked to an organization called “Department of Receiving and Delivering Martyrs.”

“I contacted the number, and finally, we found my brother,” Soran said.

On Dec. 20, 2024, Soran and one of his relatives traveled to Basra. Using the information obtained from the phone number, they located the cemetery where Jabar’s remains were buried.

A key piece of evidence confirming Jabar’s identity was a small photograph embedded in his ID, which was found preserved with his remains. The photograph was shown to the family, solidifying their certainty that the remains belonged to their loved one.

Jabar was among many Iraqi soldiers who perished during the infamous Battle of Faw. Following Iran’s capture of the Faw Peninsula, several Iraqi soldiers were unable to retreat and were killed in combat. Their bodies were hastily buried in makeshift mass graves.

In 2015, international humanitarian teams uncovered several mass graves in the Faw region, one of which contained Jabar’s remains. The discovery was documented, but it wasn’t until 2022 that a list of these soldiers’ names was publicly released.

On Dec. 22, 2024, Soran returned to Sulaymaniyah with his brother’s remains. Jabar Ibrahim Majid was laid to rest in his home village cemetery, closing a 38-year chapter of uncertainty and grief for his family.

“After all these years, we can finally say goodbye,” Soran said.