Goran Baban, Kirkuk

A youngster of Kirkuk leaves Kirkuk to start a new life in Europe but after fifty days, his body was found a jungle in Greece. After DNA test, his body is to be returned to Kirkuk soon.

Mohammed Ahmed, 21, was a resident of Faylaq (Kurdistan) neighborhood in Northern Province of Kirkuk. On December 21, two smugglers take him from Kirkuk to Greece and from there plans to reach Western Europe.  

Botan Salah, cousin of Ahmed, was authorized by his family to talk to KirkukNow. "After four days of his departure, we could not communicate with him. The smugglers one time said he is prison and another time they said he is in camp," he said.

"After four days of his departure, we could not communicate with him. The smugglers one time said he is prison and another time they said he is in camp," he said.

The family gets restless and contact refugee organizations; one of them was Iraqi Organization for Refugees, in order to inquire his destiny. 'After 50 days, one of the organizations has sent us a photo of a body in Greece. We somehow recognized the body but not sure 100% so they asked us for a DNA test," he added.

"The DNA test proved it is Ahmed," Salah said. Greece police told his family there was no sign of torture of the body and he died due to cold weather.

Salah said that Greek police launched several sweep campaigns to arrest illegal immigrants. "Mohammed was one of those who escaped police raid and he was cut off the smugglers and his friends. Few days later he died freezing," Salah narrates Greek police story.

Part of Mohammed's body was eaten by wild animals like his face and legs that's why the family could not recognize him easily.

The family says he left Kirkuk because he was jobless.

After high school, he quit wanted to work and help his family, Siyamand Nouri, a cousin of Ahmed said. "He was jobless and thought by going to Europe, he can achieve his dreams, at least a decent job," he added.

"We are so sad that the smugglers left him by himself."