The personnel, both civilian and military, of the Embassy of Italy in Iraq today held a small ceremony to remember all the Italian citizens who lost their lives in 2003 in Nassiriya, Dhi Qar Governorate, in central-southern Iraq.
In the presence of all his colleagues serving at the Embassy, including Italian Carabinieri and Army personnel, the Ambassador of Italy to Iraq Niccolò Fontana – accompanied by the Embassy’s defence attaché Colonel Luigi Sambin and the Commanding Officer of the Carabinieri Contingent Lieutenant Riccardo Introna – laid a flower basket at the foot of the Nassiriya war memorial inside the Embassy. All participants then observed a minute’s silence in memory of the victims.
The war memorial bears the engraved names of the twelve Carabinieri, five Army soldiers and two civilians who lost their lives, together with nine Iraqi citizens, in Nassiriya on 12 November 2003 while serving to bring peace to an area of Iraq plagued by violence. Today’s ceremony allowed people to remember, in a spirit of profound gratitude, those who gave their lives in the name of values such as duty and loyalty.
The Nassiriya massacre, an event that has marked Italian history, is a symbol of Italy’s determination to support international efforts for peace and security. In honour of the sacrifice of the 19 victims, 12 November marks the Day of Remembrance of Military and Civilian Victims Fallen in International Missions for Peace, established by Law no. 162 of 12 November 2009.
