Commemoration of the Nassiriya victims in Turin on 2 November 2026
Date of the event:
On 2 November 2026, on the Day of the Dead, a commemoration is held in piazza d'Armi in Turin for the victims of the Nassiriya attack, which took place in Iraq on 12 November 2003. The ceremony is attended by Turin City Council's councillor for Security, Marco Porcedda [1].
The attack remembered
The attack of 12 November 2003 struck the Italian base Maestrale, one of the bases of the task force engaged in the "Antica Babilonia" peace mission. A truck bomb driven by suicide attackers rammed the base; the explosion caused the building housing it to collapse. The attack killed 19 Italians - 12 Carabinieri, five Army soldiers, a filmmaker and an aid worker - and 9 Iraqis, with numerous injured [1].
Carabiniere Andrea Filippa
Among the Italian victims was Andrea Filippa, a Carabiniere born in Turin on 20 June 1972, who belonged to the 13th "Friuli Venezia Giulia" Battalion. Filippa was on guard at the base's entrance when he noticed the truck bomb approaching and opened fire to stop it, preventing it from reaching the inner courtyard: the vehicle crashed into the entrance gate, where it exploded. Filippa died instantly, but his action stopped the blast from reaching the heart of the building, limiting the number of victims. For his act he was posthumously awarded the Cross of Honour. He was 31 and married [1]. His name is also remembered at Tetti Francesi, a hamlet (frazione) of Rivalta, where a square has been named after him [1].
The 2026 commemoration
During the ceremony in piazza d'Armi, councillor Marco Porcedda said the annual commemoration is "a solemn and necessary moment to renew the memory of those who lost their lives for the common good and for the safety of our community", stressing the price paid by those who serve the country and the importance of standing, as a community, by the grief of the victims' families [1].
Sources
- CronacaQui Torino — 2 November 2026