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Iran condemns Daesh chemical attack near Kirkuk

Iraqi men carry the coffin of three-year-old Fatima Wais, who was killed following a chemical attack by Daesh terrorist group against the town of Taza, south of Kirkuk, during her funeral on March 11, 2016. © AFP

Iran has strongly denounced the recent chemical attack by the Daesh terrorist group which left hundreds of people wounded in the northern Iraqi province of Kirkuk.

On Monday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hossein Jaberi Ansari expressed sympathy with the Iraqi nation and government as well as those injured in the terror attack that, as he said, amounts to a crime against humanity.

The incident is yet another wake-up call for the international community and highlights the need for the adoption of transparent policies to firmly confront the Takfiri terror groups, particularly Daesh, and punish their supporters, the Iranian official added.

Last week, Daesh militants fired mortar shells and Katyusha rockets filled with “poisonous substances” into the village of Taza, located some 20 kilometers (12 miles) south of Kirkuk.

An Iraqi girl is treated on March 10, 2016 at the general hospital in the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk after she was injured in a rocket attack in the nearby town of Taza. ©AFP

A three-year-old girl, identified as Fatima Wais, lost her life and up to 600 others sustained injuries during the chemical attacks.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi vowed on Saturday that Daesh terrorists would be punished for the brutal raid.

Iran dispatched a medical team to Iraq to help the victims following a request by the Iraqi side for emergency help.

The Takfiri militants have so far launched similar chemical attacks in both Syria and Iraq, where they have long been wreaking havoc. Although the attacks have not caused many casualties, it is believed that they have detrimental psychological effects.

Daesh has reportedly been trying to produce chemical weapons and is believed to have formed a special unit for chemical weapons research. Iraqi scientists from the Saddam-era weapons program as well as foreign experts are thought to be working for the terror group.

Gruesome violence has plagued the northern and western parts of Iraq ever since Daesh terrorists launched an offensive in June 2014, and took control of portions of the Iraqi territory.

Iraqi army soldiers and fighters from allied Popular Mobilization units are seeking to win back militant-held regions in joint operations.


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