For the first time in its history, Iraq receives rescue and firefighting aircraft.
For the first time in its history, Iraq receives rescue and firefighting aircraft.
2025-10-17 07:09
Shafaq News – Baghdad
The General Directorate of Civil Defense announced on Friday the receipt of the first batch of helicopters used in rescue and firefighting operations.
According to a brief statement from the directorate received by Shafaq News Agency, this step represents an unprecedented qualitative shift since the directorate’s establishment in 1956, as it will be used in civil defense operations from now on.
Iraq witnesses occasional fires affecting shopping malls and high-rise buildings, requiring the use of specialized equipment to evacuate people and extinguish the flames.
Among the most notable of these incidents was the fire at the Al-Kut Hypermarket building in Wasit Governorate on July 16, 2025, which claimed the lives of dozens of people, both dead and injured. The fire sparked widespread criticism of firefighters for their lack of aircraft and long-ladder vehicles to evacuate citizens before they burned to death inside the building.
shafaq.com
