Jordanian missing for 12 years in Iraq reaches out to family

AMMAN — A man who was missing in Iraq for 12 years recently contacted his family after they had lost hope that he was alive, a relative said on Tuesday.

Tareq Jarawreh called his son Firas on the smartphone application Viber a few days ago, and the son recognised his father, who went missing when he was driving his truck to deliver a shipment to Iraq, Abdulrahman Jarawreh told The Jordan Times.

“Tareq was on a work trip to Iraq in June 2003, when he was intercepted by bandits who stole his truck and identification documents,” Abdulrahman said, referring to the lawlessness in some Iraqi territories at the time due to the US-led invasion.

He added that Tareq’s family, whose members reside in Irbid Governorate some 80km north of Amman, reported his absence after they did not hear from him for a long time, but failed to gain any information about his whereabouts.

Abdulrahman noted that Tareq, the father of five, spent some time in prison in Iraq, before he was released two years ago suffering memory loss, but he managed to retrieve it gradually.

A truck driver said he saw Tareq in prison around four years ago, but could not confirm it was indeed him, the relative said, adding that Tareq also contacted a friend through e-mail, which revived hopes of his being alive.

“Tareq’s family are currently getting new documents issued for him at the Ministry of Interior to enable him come back home,” Abdulrahman noted.