Politics

Officials commemorate 14th anniversary of Erbil massacre

In Erbil on Thursday morning, a ceremony was held in Sami Abdul Rahman Park, named posthumously, where hundreds gathered.

Nadia Riva 2018/02/01 08:31

kurdistan Kurdistan KDP PUK

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) – Kurdish officials gathered in Erbil on Thursday to commemorate the 14th anniversary of the suicide bombings that struck the headquarters of the Kurdistan Region’s Democratic Party (KDP) and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) on the first day of Eid al-Adha in 2004.

The explosions killed at least 50 people, including leaders of two of the main Kurdish parties, and wounded another 200 individuals. The attacks occurred as party leaders were receiving hundreds of visitors to mark the start of Eid.

Senior officials in Erbil mourned Sami Abdul Rahman, the then Deputy Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), Government Minister Shawkat Sheikh Yazdeen, Deputy Governor of Erbil, Akrem Mentik, and a PUK deputy chief, Shakhwan Abbas.

In Erbil on Thursday morning, a ceremony was held in Sami Abdul Rahman Park, named posthumously, where hundreds gathered.

Floral wreaths were placed at the monument commemorating the fallen. No official statements were delivered by officials attending the solemn event.

Now the largest green area in Erbil, Sami Abdul-Rahman Park was built on the site of one the former regime’s leader, Saddam Hussein’s, infamous detention centers.