Joint Statement by the Technical Sub-Committee (TSC) of the Tripartite Committee (TC)

Further to the announcement made on 20 June 2019, with regard to the human remains recently found in Al-Muthanna Governorate, Samawah district, in southern Iraq, the Technical Subcommittee (TSC) continues its work building on the preliminary results of the genetic analysis conducted by the Medico-Legal Directorate in Baghdad.

This early analysis showed a possible correlation with Kuwait’s PoWs and missing genetic database. A technical team from Kuwait visited the Medico-Legal Directorate in Baghdad to view and discuss with the Iraqi side these positive preliminary results, and the two sides agreed to transfer a number of samples of those remains to Kuwait. The process of DNA extraction and matching results with the database of Kuwaiti prisoners at the headquarters of the General Directorate of Criminal Evidence subsequently took place there.

The results showed positive indications for a number of samples. Accordingly, the Iraqi and Kuwaiti sides will coordinate the transfer of all the remains to the Kuwaiti side to carry out a full genetic examination and prepare for the matching process. The objective is to identify all the remains, establish their identities and eventually announce them to the relatives concerned.

The TSC emphasizes that these efforts reflect the cooperation between all parties to the Technical Sub-committee and the Tripartite Committee, which comprises the State of Kuwait, the Republic of Iraq, Saudi Arabia, the United States of America, the United Kingdom, the Republic of France, and the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI). The results speak to the tireless work of the Iraqi and Kuwaiti authorities, along with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), in gathering and analyzing information and identifying new witnesses. The TSC hopes that the joint efforts will eventually lead to the clarification of the fate of all missing people in relation to the conflict.