KRG condemns IS bomb attack targeting Arba’een mourners in Khanaqin

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) condemned the terrorist attack carried out by Islamic State (IS) militants that targeted a religious ceremony in Khanaqin on Tuesday, resulting in the deaths of two women and the injury of eleven other civilians.

We “condemn the terrorist operation carried out [Tuesday] in Khanaqin, resulting in the death of two citizens and wounding others,” KRG spokesperson, Safeen Dizayee, said in a statement after the incident.

The blast occurred at 10:00 am near the shrine of Bawa Mahmoud in Khanaqin, Diyala Province, visited by Shia Kurds participating in the Arba’een religious observance, a major event marking the end of 40 mourning days after Ashura.

Khanaqin is a Kurdish city in Diyala and lies northeast of Baquba, the provincial capital. The city is among the areas disputed between the central government and the Kurdistan Region.

Dizayee expressed his condolences to the families of the martyred and wished the injured a speedy recovery, stressing that the recurrence of terrorist acts in those areas indicate the need to work toward restoring the peace, stability and the security of the region. 

Kurdish forces who have protected the area since 2014 were ousted last October by Iraqi forces and Shia militias following the independence referendum. Since then, the security situation in many disputed territories has deteriorated.

IS claimed responsibility for the attack on Wednesday. IS and other extremist groups have repeatedly targeted Shia events, attended by large numbers of individuals belonging to the religious sect since the fall of the Baathist regime in 2003.

The Arba’een pilgrimage marks the martyrdom in 680 of Imam Hussein, grandson of the Prophet Mohammad, who refused to accept the leadership of the “usurper,” Caliph Yazid, and was massacred along with his followers at Karbala.

Protecting the processions of religious ceremonies, including Ashura and Arba’een, are a test of the abilities of the Iraqi forces under the new administration in Baghdad.

Editing by Nadia Riva