13 wounded in celebratory gunfire after COVID-19 'victory' in Duhok

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region  — At least 13 people were wounded during celebratory gunfire on Wednesday night as tens of thousands of people in Duhok province took to the streets to celebrate the recovery of COVID-19 patients in the area.

“13 people were wounded during the celebratory gunfire, with four of them needing minor surgery,” Hamza Razki, spokesperson for Duhok’s health department told Rudaw English. 

“Nine others sustained injuries, but none were life threatening,“ he added.

Duhok province has seen one of the lowest infection rates in the country, with a total of 15 confirmed cases since the first case was reported on March 18.

Provincial officials announced on Sunday  that all 15 patients had made full recoveries and planned a celebration for Wednesday night, although a partial lockdown remains in place.

Authorities called on people to come out at 10pm on and light candles. Drone footage from Rudaw showed fireworks going off in different parts of Duhok city, but the mood soon changed as rifles, pistols and machine guns were used by some to celebrate the occasion.

Families on rooftops ran for cover, fearing for their lives. “I went on the roof with my three children and my wife and lit a candle and I could hear some fireworks in distance,” Mahdi Mohsen, 42, a civil servant told Rudaw English.

 “All of a sudden my neighbour fired a full magazine in the air. Others started too so [we] ran into the house.” Mahdi said, adding that his neighbours are members of the KRG security forces. 

He also found bullet casings in his garden on Thursday morning. 

Videos circulating on social media showed people firing AK-47 kalashnikovs, pistols and machine guns in the air.

“I swear to god one of my friends in a snap [multimedia message] was firing a PKC and DShK [heavy machine gun]” Amad Essa wrote on Facebook.

Hundreds of thousands of people across the Kurdistan Region own firearms, either as members of the security forces or private citizens. Celebrations often end with a small number of people using gunfire to mark the occasion. 

Authorities have repeatedly promised to crackdown on unauthorized gun ownership with little success as dozens of gun markets still operate across the region.

Duhok Police spokesperson Hemn Sulaiman could not be reached for comment.  However he took to social media to condemn the gunfire. 

“Alas, for those people who became the reason for ruining every celebration, no one expresses appreciation to another person in this way,” he wrote.

The World Health Organization’s (WHO) Iraq office expressed “high concern” on Wednesday night regarding “the unprotected behavior of some citizens during the partial lifting of the lockdown” and called on the Iraqis to adhere to the recommendations to avoid gatherings and maintain social distancing.

The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has introduced strict measures to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus in the four provinces under its administration, including a region-wide lockdown in mid-March. Government efforts to contain the virus have been applauded by WHO.

Thousands of medical professionals work day and night to treat the 337 people infected across the region and stop the spread of the virus, which has killed four people. Twenty-five patients are still being treated at various hospitals in the region.

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