Samarra

A picture of the young man Ziyad Tariq Al-Khawaf Al-Bazi from the people of Samarra. He was kidnapped by Muqtada al-Sadr’s militia four days ago in the Banat Al-Hasan area. April 2025 his body was found slaughtered and burned with acid, after being tortured and having his car stolen

Osama Hassan Khalaf Zaidan, born in 1996, was kidnapped from within the city of Samarra, and his fate remains unknown to this day.  

The security file in the city is controlled by the Saraya al-Salam militia, affiliated with Muqtada al-Sadr.

Two young men, Abdullah Mustafa and Abdullah Mohammed—cousins—were kidnapped months ago from the outskirts of #Occupied_Samarra.  

Their fate remains unknown.

The police say: "We don’t have any detainees. Go to the Saraya."  

Meanwhile, the Saraya threaten them, saying that if they continue accusing the militia of the kidnapping, *they will be dealt with differently* if they bring it up again.

And their families are still waiting.

Young men in the prime of their lives were kidnapped in #Occupied_Samarra, despite the city having more security forces than three other provinces combined!  

A city run with a criminal militia’s iron grip.

Ghalib Ahmed Owaid Al-Abbasi was kidnapped in the city where the security file is controlled by Saraya al-Salam.

His fate remains unknown to this day.

Daily, cases of kidnapping and enforced disappearance are recorded in #Samarra, with the latest being the young boy Dhul-Nurayn, Nour al-Din Taha, who vanished some time ago.  

Despite the city being turned into a military barracks by the overwhelming presence of security forces, the series of kidnappings and disappearances continues without deterrence!

Ibrahim Sabah, Othman Ismail Saleh, Ahmed Natheer, and Younis Al-Humaidi — all were kidnapped within the span of a single month, and their fate remains unknown.

Who controls Samarra? 

It is under the grip of Saraya al-Salam, the militia affiliated with Muqtada al-Sadr.

Younis Ahmed Al-Humaidi was the *third* kidnapping case in just one week in Samarra.  

He was abducted along with his car inside the city — a city controlled by Saraya al-Salam, the group in charge of the security file!

Despite the presence of all security apparatuses — including the Operations Command, local police, and intelligence services —  

it seems they might still be waiting for the federal police* to do their job!

The kidnapping and enforced disappearance of six individuals — and despite all security agencies denying any knowledge of their whereabouts — the truth is painfully clear:

- Najm Jassim Mohammed 

- Othman Adnan Jassim 

- Ibrahim Adnan Jassim  

- Adnan Jassim Mohammed  

- Waleed Ahmed Ibrahim

- Khalid Waleed Ibrahim

The security file is in the hands of Saraya al-Ghadr (Saraya of Betrayal), despite the presence of the police, army, and intelligence services — and all of them* appear complicit in these crimes.

The process of kidnapping and enforced disappearance has been ongoing in #Occupied_Samarra for months, and almost every day sees a new abduction.  

Since the disappearance of Zidan Khalaf Hassan Al-Nisani, his family has been pleading with the Prime Minister's office and the Ministry of Interior to reveal his fate. Yet, there has been no result, and his fate remains unknown, with his family still waiting for any news about him!

The abduction of young Omar Amer Al-Samarrai by the Saraya al-Salam militia, affiliated with Muqtada al-Sadr, highlights the grim reality in Samarra.  

The presence of the police and army in the city is merely superficial, as the true control over the security file lies with Muqtada's militias. The rest of the forces are powerless to stop the acts of betrayal or confront Saraya al-Salam, and there is no trace of the kidnapped individuals.  

Victims of the Massacre:

The victims of the massacre, who were killed in their home early on the morning of August 21, 2024, were:

Rabah Adnan Hussein Khalaf (born 1988)

Azhar Jamal Ali (born 2006)

Ayser Jamal Ali (born 2010)

Asmahan Jamal Ali (born 2008)

Hayder Jamal Ali (born 2014)

Nur al-Din Jamal Ali (born 2015)

The attack involved gunmen wearing military uniforms who opened fire on the family, resulting in the deaths of all six members. There were reports of the bodies being mutilated after the killings.

On 22 February 2006, Bahjat was shot dead along with her colleagues Adnan Al Dulaimi and Khalid Al Fellahi while covering a story in Samarra.