ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Kurdistan Region President Massoud Barzani strongly condemned a deadly attack on a French satirical magazine in Paris on Wednesday, saying the Kurdish people stood with France on “this sad day.”
In a message to French President Francois Hollande, Barzani said he was confident that “humanity will prevail,” following the attack on the Charlie Hebdo magazine by masked gunmen who chanted Islamic slogans and shot dead 12 people.
“On behalf of myself and the people of Kurdistan, I would like to express my condolences to you, the French people, and the families of the victims of today’s terrorist attack, and I strongly condemn this inhumane and cowardly act,” Barzani said in a statement.
“In this sad day, the people of Kurdistan, who are currently fighting the most barbaric kind of terrorism, stand with the people of France. I am confident that terrorism will be defeated and humanity will prevail,” he added.
French police launched a massive manhunt for the three gunmen who stormed the magazine with Kalashnikov rifles, killing 12 people, including the editorial director and four cartoonists whose work included controversial drawings of the Prophet Muhammad.
At least 15,000 people crammed into the French capital’s Place de la République on Wednesday evening for vigil for the victims.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, the deadliest in France in more than a half century.
Appearing briefly on national television, Hollande called for a day of mourning on Thursday, saying "nothing can divide us, nothing can separate us."
"We will win. Nothing will make us renounce our determination," he said. "Long live the republic. Long live France."
