The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) released a statement this morning in a bid to alleviate fears raised by the murder of US teacher Jeremiah Small in Sulaimaniyah last week.
"Despite this tragedy, the Kurdistan region remains a safe place to live and work, and the international community plays a vital role in our ongoing development," the statement read.

"The KRG is appreciative of their work and is fully committed to continuing to provide a stable and secure environment for the welfare of all who live and work in the region.

"The Kurdistan region has been an oasis of calm for many years and we have been proud that not a single member of the international community had been killed in the region before or since the overthrow of the former Iraqi regime in 2003."

The statement added that the KRG was "shocked" and "troubled" by the news of Small's death.

Kurdistan Regional Government and US officials are investigating the circumstances surrounding his death.

The statement continued to note that Small, who was a teacher at Medes School in Sulaimaniyah for more than six years, was an involved member of his local community.

He attended student picnics and led local mountain climbing trips, as well as educational student visits abroad.

On Thursday 18-year-old Bayar Sarwar shot Small four times before shooting himself once on the head. Sarwar later died at hospital. Police forces said there was an issue between the student and the teacher without making it clear what kind of issue.

Small was buried in Sulaimaniyah’s Christians cemetery yesterday after his family flew over from the US.






AKnews