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Lebanon’s Hezbollah condemns terror attack on Iraq Shia shrine

Friday, 08 July 2016 5:10 PM [ Last Update: Friday, 08 July 2016 5:28 PM ]

An Iraqi policeman inspects the scene of Daesh attacks near the mausoleum of Sayyid Muhammad bin Ali al-Hadi in the city of Balad, north of the capital Baghdad, on July 8, 2016. ©AFP

Lebanon’s Hezbollah resistance movement has strongly condemned the recent bombing and shooting attacks by Takfiri Daesh militants against a sacred Shia Muslim shrine in Iraq’s northern province of Salahuddin.

Hezbollah, in a statement released on Friday, said the overnight attacks on the mausoleum of Sayyid Muhammad bin Ali al-Hadi (PBUH) in the city of Balad attests to the fact that Daesh terrorists have no regard for humanity.

“They kill Muslims and Christians, Sunnis and Shias, Arabs and non-Arabs irrespective of blood, place and time,” the statement added.

Hezbollah further called on Daesh sponsors, who “benefit from terrorism to achieve personal gains,” to abandon supporting the extremist outfit.

At least 40 people lost their lives and 75 others sustained injuries in the late Thursday coordinated attacks on the mausoleum.

Security sources said a militant blew himself up at the external gate of the holy site before several militants stormed in and started shooting at pilgrims.

Another bomber detonated his explosives in the middle of the crowd, who were celebrating Eid al-Fitr festivities, which mark the end of the holy Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. Security forces also killed a third bomber and defused his explosives.

The militants also fired several mortar rounds at the mausoleum during the attack, for which the Takfiri Daesh group claimed responsibility.

*Lit candles sit on July 6, 2016 at the site of a Daesh bombing attack that took place in Baghdad's Karrada neighborhood three days earlier. ©AFP*

The development came shortly after the death toll from Sunday’s car bomb attacks in the busy commercial areas of Baghdad jumped to 292.

The northern and western parts of Iraq have been plagued by gruesome violence ever since Daesh terrorists mounted an offensive in the country in June 2014.

Iraqi government forces, backed by fighters from allied Popular Mobilization Units, have been fighting the militants.

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