Three people were injured by a man wielding an axe during the annual parade by Assyrian Christians in the Iraqi city of Duhok to mark their new year on 1 April.
The attacker, who has yet to be named officially, ran toward the crowd brandishing the axe. He struck three people with the weapon before being overpowered by participants in the parade and security forces.
Subsequent online videos showed the assailant pinned to the ground, repeatedly shouting, “Islamic State, the Islamic State remains”.
Assyrian Christians celebrating their New Year with the annual parade [Image credit: Shafaq News]
The parade in Duhok, in the semi-autonomous region of Iraqi Kurdistan, marked the beginning of the 6,775th new year according to the Babylonian-Assyrian calendar. It was attended by more than 5,000 Christians from Iraq and across the Assyrian diaspora.
A 17-year-old youth and a 75-year-old woman suffered skull fractures. A member of the local security forces was also injured. All three were hospitalised, local security officials confirmed.
Athraa Abdullah, mother of 17-year-old Fardi, in reference to her family being displaced by Islamic State (IS, ISIS, ISIL, Daesh) militants in 2014, said, “We were already attacked and displaced by ISIS, and today we faced a terrorist attack at a place we came to for shelter.”
Janet Aprem Odisho, daughter of 75-year-old Yoniyah Khoshaba was wounded, said she and her mother were shopping close to the parade at the moment of the attack.
“He was running at us with an axe,” she said. “All I remember is that he hit my mother, and I ran away when she fell. He had already attacked a young man who was bleeding in the street, then he tried to attack more people.”
Ninab Yousif Toma, a spokesman for the Assyrian Democratic Movement, condemned the attack and said, “We marched today to show that we have existed here for thousands of years. This attack will not stop our people.”
Despite the attack, the Assyrians’ holiday celebrations proceeded and were completed successfully.
Following the incident, Duhok Governor Ali Tatar denounced the assault as “an attack against peaceful coexistence in the Kurdistan Region”.
Confirming the immediate arrest of the assailant, the governor added, “Throughout history, Kurdistan has always been a bright example of coexistence and tolerance for Christians, Jews, Yezidis, and all other components. Such attempts to disrupt our coexistence will not be successful.”
Pray for the recovery of all three victims of this horrendous attack. Give thanks for the resilience of the Assyrian Christians and the successful conclusion of the festivities despite this incident. Pray for their encouragement in the faith will grow ever stronger and for continued peaceful coexistence among the different faith groups in this volatile region.
