Iraqi dad’s wife and kids killed by ISIS bomb while trying to flee terror group in Fallujah

Inside Fallujah, thirty one miles from Baghdad, the city is slowly rebuilding, but the emotional turmoil inflicted upon the local residence will take longer to repair.

Gun shop owner Sufian Kheerallah lost his wife and kids after they were killed by bomb while trying to flee depraved terrorist group ISIS.

The Iraqi said: “I lost three of my family members by ISIS when we tried to flee” Sufian Kheerallah states, sitting behind the desk of his gun shop on the edge of the city.

“I wanted to stay when ISIS came - Fallujah is my home - but after three months when we saw the reality of them we decided we had to leave.”

Showing a picture of his dead daughter on his phone he adds.

“I drove over a bomb near one of their checkpoints and was knocked unconscious. When I awoke I saw that my wife, my son and my youngest daughter had been killed.”

Sufian, his son and his eldest daughter, survived the explosion – but all were severely harmed from the blast.

“My daughter spent months in hospital and I had surgery in Amman, however, I cannot see properly in my right eye and my left arm is useless,” he explains.

Sadly his story is not unique to Fallujah.

“There are many tragedies here, three months before I left a family of thirteen were driving in the same place as me and this time they were all killed by a IED."

Since returning to Fallujah in August last year the bereaved father has been attempting to rebuild what remains of his family and his life.

“When I came back my shop was destroyed – they stole everything – and I have had this hunting shop in my family for generations,” he states.

Pointing to some pictures of his relatives on the wall he adds, “maybe I will give it to my [remaining] son Mohammed, but only if he does badly is school.”

The fifty year old though has had little help from Baghdad.

“In 2006 we got support from the Americans after Fallujah was destroyed. This time a group from the government promised if I take photos of my damaged shop they will give us money, however, so far I have received nothing.”

There are some signs that the city is rebuilding after the horrific war with ISIS.

For instance, one of the two main bridges during the liberation of the city, which was damaged is now being repaired.

“This bridge is historic - it was built in the 1920s - but bombed by ISIS when the Iraqi army approached,” Mohammed Hamid a contractor from Ramadi working in Fallujah states.

“But we have a contract with the UNDP [United Nations Development Program] to rebuild it and have been working on it for the past three months.”

The forty three year old is overloaded with the work.

“We have contracts everywhere - in the schools, the roads, the hospitals - [but] work is slow [and] Fallujah needs a lot more help.”

And this lack of reconstruction is having its toll on the businesses in the area.

“When I got back from Kirkuk where I fled to everything was destroyed,” Haider Ibrahim, a local baker states, adding, “Life is difficult. Until now I have had no help from the government and have had to rebuild everything myself.”

Walking through the main market one can see though that the artistic life to Fallujah is returning.

“There is music, dancing and many wedding parties here, ” Hakeem Al Hashimi, who runs a religious charity in the city center explains.

“These shops are [now] open and this was not possible during the time of ISIS - many things were banned.”

Back at his local mosque Hakeem said: “During that time - people were forbidden from singing or saying poetry – it was consider Haram - and they were [even] branded on their tongues if they did – like cattle – as a warning to others.”