Dutch child killed in Iran attack on Iraq this week

A Dutch baby of less than a year old was killed in an attack committed by Iran on Iraq, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Friday. Outgoing Minister Hanke Bruins Slot of Foreign Affairs summoned the Iranian ambassador for an explanation, she said on X.

The Dutch baby died in an Iranian airstrike on Erbil, a Kurdish city in northern Iraq, Bruins Slot said. “The death of this young child and other civilian victims is terrible. We deeply sympathize with their loved ones,” the Minister said. “Once again, I strongly condemn Iran’s attacks in Erbil.” The Ministry is offering the child’s family consular assistance.

Early this week, the Iranian Revolutionary Guards carried out several missile and strikes on targets in Iraq and Syria. Four civilians were killed and six injured, NOS reports. Most of the 15 missile strikes hit Erbil, Kurdistan, on January 15. The other four missiles hit northwest Syria.

The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs previously issued its strictest advice against traveling to Iraq, saying that nobody should travel into most of the country. This did not cover a portion of the Kurdistan region, including the city of Erbil. Travel to that area should only continue if absolutely necessary