Elna Abdullah Hussein Nia

Elna Abdullah Hussein Nia, an 11-year-old Iranian national, lived with her family in Kuwait City as part of the country's Iranian expatriate community. She was also known by the shortened name Elena.

On the night of March 3-4, 2026, Elna was asleep in her second-floor apartment. According to reports, shrapnel from an Iranian drone strike penetrated the roof of the building and entered her bedroom. The debris struck her while she slept. Her younger sister, sleeping beside her, sustained minor injuries. Their mother was unharmed.

The strike occurred during a period of heightened regional tensions in early 2026. Iranian forces launched a series of retaliatory drone and missile strikes across the region, targeting what it described as militant positions. The Minab School Strike in Iran, which reportedly killed civilians, is cited as a precipitating event for this broader wave of attacks.

Kuwaiti authorities reportedly condemned the strike that killed Elna as a violation of its sovereignty. The incident highlighted the cross-border risks to civilians during the conflict, particularly for diaspora communities.

Elna's death was documented by international monitoring groups as a civilian casualty. Her story underscores the vulnerability of non-combatants, including children, to ordnance that strikes residential areas far from declared front lines.

Elna Abdullah Hussein Nia was killed during a period of regional conflict (ongoing since February 2026). See the full roster of those killed in this conflict.

Among those documented in the same conflict: Hana Dehqani, Fatemeh Salari, Reza Habashian, Arya Bahadori.

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