Iraq

Iraqi man used bulletproof BMW to save 70 civilians from Daesh sniper fire

A Kurdish Peshmerga fighter has been hailed as a hero after he saved some 70 people from Daesh snipers with his bulletproof BMW in Iraq’s Kirkuk.

Daesh snipers launched an attack on Kirkuk in October. Ako Abdulrahman was in the city during the offensive when he realized that his armored car could be used to save a group of pinned down civilians, the Washington Times reported on Tuesday.

“I told myself, this is the right time to help people, this is the right moment to do it. I am a [Peshmerga] fighter and I have a bulletproof car, shame on me if I can’t help,” he said.

His car eventually broke down after being hit over 50 times by sniper fire, but not before it was used to transport some 70 people to safety.

“When I arrived at the scene, I saw many people on the ground, civilians and security forces and no one could dare to come close because of Daesh snipers and random shooting,” he added.

“In my car, I carried Sunni, Shia, Kurds, Turkmen and Christians,” he added. “I felt like I am truly Iraq and this is who everyone should be. My car received more than 50 bullets, [there are] marks all over it. Daesh kept shooting, hoping to penetrate my car to kill me and kill the wounded people inside it.”

Abdulrahman was personally thanked for his heroic deed by Kirkuk governor Najmaldin Karim, after Iraqi security forces pushed back the terrorists, killing 86 of them.

“I was happy with the certificate of appreciation from the governor, but I thought it’s insulting to give me money for something every Iraqi should do,” Abdulrahman said.

The BMW company had offered to replace his car and display it in their museum but he turned them down. Abdulrahman had purchased the car for around $9,000 in an auction.

“I am not a hero, I am only an ordinary Iraqi who wants to defeat his country from criminals and killers,” he said.

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