Middle East
Iraqi brothers who were killed in Turkey on June 26, 2025 (left) and their grandmother speaking to Rudaw in Mosul on June 29, 2025. Graphic: Rudaw
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The family of two Iraqi brothers who were fatally shot in southern Turkey last week demand their “rights.” A suspect has been arrested but the family believes that five other people were involved.
Iraqi brothers Yousef and Mohammed Rawe were fatally shot by a Turkish citizen in the southern province of Sanliurfa (Riha), Turkish media reported on Thursday. The motive for their killing remains unclear. The Iraqi foreign ministry confirmed the incident on Friday, adding that they are in contact with Ankara to “preserve the rights of Iraqi citizens and maintain their dignity.”
Rudaw visited the family of the murdered brothers in Mosul on Saturday. They said the brothers, aged 21 and 22, migrated to Turkey in 2014 when the Islamic State (ISIS) controlled swathes of Iraqi territory, rendering Mosul a stronghold.
The Iraqi foreign ministry said in its statement that the main suspect was immediately arrested. However, the family told Rudaw that “five other Turks helped him carry out the crime."
Thuraya Qasim, the grandmother of the murdered brothers, who the family identified as Yousef and Mohammed Ahmed Daham, called on the Iraqi authorities to demand “our rights.”
She added that one of the victims was fasting when he was shot.
According to the family’s account, Yousef and Mohammed were working in a car workshop in Riha. They had repaired the Turkish customer’s car but he refused to pay the fee. This caused an altercation between them and it turned deadly when the customer left and returned with a gun to kill the brothers with.
Turkish authorities have yet to announce the results of their investigation.
Abdul Razzaq Sayyid Ahmed, leader of the brothers’ tribe in Mosul, told Rudaw that "because of an ordinary quarrel, the perpetrator drew his weapon and fired five shots at Youssef and seven shots at Mohammed, martyring them."
Turkey is a popular tourism destination for Iraqis.
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