ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Terrorists do not discriminate between party lines when they attack, a top Kurdish official said on Friday, stressing the need for Kurdish unity and warning of the ongoing terror threat in the country.
The comments were made by the Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region, Nechirvan Barzani, during the 15th anniversary of the 2004 Erbil bombing.
The double suicide attack on the offices of the Kurdistan Region’s leading parties, the Kurdistan Democratic Parties (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), killed over 100 Kurdish political leaders and people and injured hundreds more.
The suicide bombers detonated explosives strapped to their bodies as crowds gathered to celebrate Eid al-Adha in Erbil.
“The attack shows that we should be united and remain united,” Barzani said during a ceremony attended by many senior Kurdish officials and foreign consuls, ambassadors, and representatives.
He went on to say that the Kurdistan Region is proud various ethnoreligious groups are able to peacefully coexist, stating it remains part of the culture and identity of Kurdistan.
The incumbent prime minister explained that, despite a financial crisis, cuts to the Kurdistan Region’s share of the national budget in recent years, and the fight against the Islamic State, “the people of the Kurdistan Region proudly opened their arms to receive over two million displaced people and refugees.” He noted those who were fleeing violence were able to find security in Kurdistan.
Barzani reiterated warnings that while the Islamic State had been militarily defeated, it had not been completely eliminated. He urged the US-led coalition and the international community to seriously consider the persistent threats of the jihadist group as they determine their next steps in the region.
He stressed that the ideological threat the group poses should be eliminated through a “strategic program.”
“The ongoing activities and attacks of Da’esh in disputed territories and some other Iraqi provinces are known to everyone, and it is a serious threat to the security of Iraq in general,” Barzani asserted.
The Kurdish Prime Minister also said the Peshmerga forces are ready to cooperate with the US-led coalition and Iraqi forces on a strategic plan to eradicate the remaining threats.
Editing by Nadia Riva