Symbolic celebration turns somber as Erbil marks first birthday of child slain in Iranian attack
Shafaq News/ The local government of Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Region, hosted a symbolic event on Thursday evening to commemorate the first birthday of "Jina Dzayi," a child who lost her life in an Iranian airstrike targeting her home two weeks ago.
Unfortunately, Jina and her father, Kurdish businessman "Beshro Dzayi," were absent from the celebration.
According to a correspondent from Shafaq News Agency, the local government organized the event on the actual birthday of the child, January 25, 2023, which she did not live to attend.
The attack claimed the lives of both Jina and her father, while her mother survived with severe injuries, currently receiving treatment in the hospital.
The commemorative event took place at the victim's residence in the presence of dozens of political and social figures.
This event follows Monday's gathering where children from Erbil's nurseries held a memorial in honor of the deceased child and her father, lighting candles at the "Empire" complex owned by the late Kurdish businessman. The children conveyed a message titled "To the Sky," expressing their sorrow for Beshro Dzayi and his daughter Jina.
On the night of January 16-17, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard launched a missile strike targeting civilian areas in Erbil.
The Revolutionary Guard claimed responsibility for the strikes, attributing them to retaliation against what they termed "crimes of the Zionist regime" and citing the recent killing of some of their leaders by Israeli forces in Kurdistan.
The Security Council of the Kurdistan Region condemned the missile strikes and deemed them a blatant violation of the region's sovereignty and that of Iraq as a whole.
In response to the attack, the Erbil Chamber of Commerce, on Friday, January 19, called on citizens and traders to boycott Iranian products. On Saturday, January 20, the Duhok Chamber of Commerce and Industry announced that it will conduct a careful examination to seek alternatives for Iranian products.
