An Iraqi soldier who died of wounds suffered during a civil war in 2003, and was killed in an ambush in December, has been remembered in a video posted on social media.
Maj. Gen. Hamid Dostum, who was killed by roadside bombs in the town of Tikrit, said in the video that he had a special bond with his fellow soldiers.
“I have seen my father, brother, mother, cousins, sisters, brothers, aunts, uncles, and friends and I still love them all,” Dostums video reads.
“And I want to remember my family.
My family is my family.”
The video, which was uploaded to Facebook on Monday, shows Dostoms son, Maj. Gen D.H.M., and his mother, Maj.-Gen. Amin.
In the video, the two also appear to be mourning the loss of their beloved father, who had died a decade ago in a traffic accident.
In a statement on Facebook, Maj-Gen. Amir Al-Husseini, a spokesman for the Ministry of Interior, said that the ministry is working with the family of Maj. General Hamid to “express their condolences and wishes.”
He said DostUM’s death has also been a tragedy for the Iraqi security forces, the country’s security forces and the Iraqi people.
“His life, and the lives of his men and women, were lost because of the reckless disregard of the Iraqi armed forces and their commanders and the brutal brutality of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant,” he said.
“The Iraqi armed and security forces fought valiantly against this criminal organization, and will continue to fight.”
He added that Dosts death is a tragedy and a loss for Iraq.
“Iraqi forces were not only the ones fighting this terrorist organization, they also lost a young man,” he added.
“They have lost a leader, and their nation has lost a fighter.”
Iraqi officials and a military spokesman have said the man who died on the roadside was an IS fighter, but there was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.
A military official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the incident is being investigated.
The official, however, said it is too early to confirm the man’s identity.
The official said the attack on Dost’s convoy came as Iraq was struggling to retake Tikrit from the Islamic state, and that it would be too early for any official statement on the incident.
“We can’t say anything at this time,” he told CNN.
“But the situation is very complex and there are many unknowns.”
Dostum’s father was a sergeant in the Iraqi army who was awarded the Army’s Medal of Honor, and died in 2014 in the Baghdad airport.
