President Barzani condemns deadly Diyala attack blamed on ISIS

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani condemned on Friday a deadly attack in Iraq’s Diyala province blamed on the Islamic State (ISIS) that left at least ten dead, stressing that terrorism “remains a grave threat.”

A deadly jihadist attack in Diyala’s Muqdadiya district, known as Sharaban in Kurdish, on Thursday evening left at least ten civilians dead and 17 injured, security sources in the district told Rudaw. 

“We condemn in the strongest terms the terrorist attack that occurred last night in the Omraniyah area of Shraban district in Diyala province. This heinous crime resulted in the loss of several innocent lives and caused numerous injuries,” President Barzani said in a statement. 

Police spokesperson Haitham al-Jabouri told Rudaw the attack was carried out by ISIS members who detonated a bomb on a vehicle and subsequently ambushed a crowd with snipers, resulting in many casualties. 

ISIS seized control of swathes of Iraqi territory during a brazen offensive in 2014 but it was declared territorially defeated in 2017 when its so-called caliphate in the country fell as Iraqi and Kurdish fighters, supported by a US-led international coalition, claimed back lands lost to the jihadists. 

Despite its territorial defeat, the group has continued to pose a serious security threat to the country through hit-and-run attacks, bombings, and abductions across several provinces, particularly in the areas disputed between the Iraqi government and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) which stretch across several provinces including Diyala, Salahaddin, and Kirkuk. 

“We also wish a swift recovery to those who were injured, and we assure them that the hospitals in the Kurdistan Region are fully prepared to provide medical assistance,” Barzani said. 

“These cowardly acts of terrorism not only jeopardize the security and stability of our nation, but also serve as a stark reminder that terrorism remains a grave threat,” he added, emphasizing the importance of persevering in the fight against terrorism. 

ISIS has not claimed responsibility for the attack. 

Diyala Governor Muthanna al-Tamimi condemned the attack, offering his condolences to the families of the victims and vowing justice. 

“We threaten the killers that they will be pursued and will receive their just punishment, and we will not allow any violation targeting citizens and disrupting security and stability in Muqdadiya district,” he said in a statement. 

On Thursday, an Iraqi airstrike on alleged ISIS hideouts in Salahaddin province resulted in “a number of deaths” and the destruction of hideouts, according to the country’s Joint Operations Command.