Shafaq News-Saladin
A pack of straydogs attacked four sixth-grade students in Saladin, central Iraq, while theywere returning home after completing their final exams, leaving them withvarying injuries, a medical source in the province’s health directorate toldShafaq News.
Eyewitness AhmadOmar told our agency that residents quickly intervened to rescue the childrenand drive the dogs away after they directly attacked the students. He notedthat stray dogs have spread across the area in recent months, particularly nearschools and vacant land, adding that residents have repeatedly filed complaintswith local authorities over recurring incidents and fears for children’ssafety.
Residents say straydogs have become a daily threat, especially to school students during earlymorning hours and after classes.
Last month, a rabid dog attacked five people, including fourchildren, in central Basra, southern Iraq.
Official estimates place Iraq’s stray dog population at morethan one million, with authorities reporting frequent bite incidents across thecountry. Animal rights advocates, however, oppose policies permitting thekilling of stray dogs, arguing that mass culling disrupts ecological balanceand violates Kurdistan Region Law No. 14 of 2022, which bans the killing ofstray animals and requires humane treatment.
: Deadly dog attacks: Who protects Iraq’s neighborhoods?
