Top Kurdistan Region officials 'strongly condemn' Baghdad attacks

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Top officials from the Kurdistan Region “strongly condemned” the deadly explosions that hit Baghdad on Thursday morning, which left at least 28 killed and scores more wounded and underlined the need for cooperation to combat terrorism.

A twin suicide attack on Thursday targeted an outdoor market in central Baghdad, killing at least 28 people and wounding many others, according to security sources.

“I strongly condemn these terrorist attacks and extend my condolences to the martyrs’ families and victims of these incidents and hope for a speedy recovery for the wounded,” Masoud Barzani, the leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the former president of the Kurdistan Region, said in a statement.

“Terrorism is against life, happiness, security, and [is] a mutual enemy of all sides,” Barzani affirmed, adding that to eradicate the threat of terrorism, “a continued coordination by all sides is important.”

He also hoped that with the assistance of the relevant entities, the perpetrators of these crimes will be brought to justice.

Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani earlier announced that his government “stands ready” to provide assistance and care following the deadly attacks.

Read More: KRG ‘stands ready’ to provide care, assistance, PM Barzani says on Baghdad’s bloody attacks

Likewise, the Kurdistan Region’s Presidency “strongly condemned” the suicide attacks that targeted civilians in a “barbaric way,” expressing the KRG’s willingness “to receive the wounded…and provide all the necessary medical services.”

“These terrorist attacks indicate the scope of the threat of terrorism,” the statement added, and requires “a national responsibility” by all the relevant parties and political players “toward working in cooperation and in unity” to overcome the challenges.

The attacks come following a period of improved security in the Iraqi capital, which returned a sense of sanctuary among residents who have witnessed repeated car bombs, sectarian clashes, and political assassinations since the fall of former dictator Saddam Hussein in 2003.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany