PM Barzani stresses ‘shared values of unity, tolerance’ on commemoration of 2004 bombings

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Monday emphasized preserving “shared values of unity and tolerance” as he commemorated the 2004 bombings in Erbil that left over 100 fatalities.

Prime Minister Barzani’s remarks came as the Kurdistan Region marks the 17th anniversary of the bloody terrorist attacks on Feb. 1, 2004, that targeted the offices of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), leaving over 100 deaths and more than 130 injuries.

“Let us honor the memory of their sacrifice by preserving our shared values of unity and tolerance,” PM Barzani wrote, as he commemorated the martyrs of the terrorist attack.

The top Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and party officials as well as the relatives and families of the martyrs gathered on Monday at the memorial in Erbil to mark the bloody incident by laying wreaths.  

The explosions targeted the party offices simultaneously as visitors flocked the headquarters to extend their congratulations on the occasion of the Islamic festival, known as Eid al-Adha.

Among the causalities, there were senior party officials, government bureaucrats, and civilians. The top governmental officials who were martyred in the explosions were former KRG deputy prime minister, Sami Abdul Rahman, Erbil governor Akram Mantik, along with top KDP and PUK senior officials.

The terrorist attacks took place one year after the toppling of Iraq’s former dictator Saddam Hussien’s regime, which came to an end by the US-led international coalition.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany