Basra receives body of fisherman killed off Kuwait as detainees freed

BASRA — Residents of Faw district gathered at the Safwan border crossing south of Basra on Thursday night to receive the body of fisherman Najm Abdullah Khalid and other Iraqi fishermen released by Kuwaiti authorities. They were accompanied by the Iraqi government delegation returning from Kuwait, which included Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein and Basra Governor Asaad al-Eidani.

An ambulance arrived at the crossing carrying the body of Khalid, 34, along with another fisherman who had been wounded. The body was taken directly to the forensic medicine department to complete official procedures.

The released fishermen, all from Faw, left Safwan to return to their families after the release procedures were completed.

Hussein announced Thursday the death of one of the fishermen detained by the Kuwaiti Coast Guard, stressing the importance of establishing joint mechanisms to prevent similar incidents.

According to a statement from the Foreign Ministry, Hussein used his Kuwait visit to discuss incidents involving Iraqi fishermen in the contact areas and overlapping waters between the two countries, including the one that killed the Iraqi fisherman, in what he described as both governments’ commitment to “protecting lives and preserving fraternal relations.”

The two sides emphasized the need to reach common understandings on security and strengthen coordination between the relevant authorities.

On Tuesday, Faw District Commissioner Waleed al-Sharifi announced the formation of a committee of representatives from the Basra local government and the Foreign Ministry to visit Kuwait and determine the fate of five Iraqi fishermen who went missing on July 4 in Khor Abdullah. Al-Sharifi told 964media that preliminary information indicated one fisherman had died and another had been wounded and taken to a hospital in Kuwait after being shot by the Kuwaiti Coast Guard, while three others were held for questioning.

As of Friday, Kuwaiti authorities had not publicly detailed the circumstances of the shooting or responded to the allegations made by Iraqi officials and fishermen’s representatives.

Hussein arrived in Kuwait on Wednesday on an official visit, the first by an Iraqi government official to a Gulf country since the new government formed in mid-May. He was accompanied by National Security Adviser Qasim al-Aboudi and al-Eidani.