An Islamist attacker has gone on an axe rampage at a Christian festival in northern Iraq, leaving three people hospitalised.
The parade Akitu – held by Assyrian Christians – has attracted thousands of Christians to walk through the city of Dohuk in colourful clothing, waving flags to mark the start of the new year.
Three people have been hospitalised after the incident took place, local security forces claimed.
Witnesses of the horrific event reported that the attacker – who has not yet been identified – charged towards a group of Assyrians, shouting Islamic slogans before stabbing his victims.
Individuals in the crowd managed to suppress the axe-wielding attacker
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A boy, 17, and a woman, 75, received skull fractures from the incident, while one of the local security forces also received injuries.
Ninab Yousif Toma – a member of the Assyrian Democratic Movement (ADM) – requested that Iraqi authorities respond accordingly to the event to address “ethnic and religious extremism”.
He said: “We request both governments to review the religious and education curriculums that plant hate in people’s heads and encourage ethnic and religious extremism.
“This was obviously an inhumane terrorist attack.”
The parade Akitu – held by Assyrian Christians – has attracted thousands of Christians to walk through the city of Dohuk in colourful clothing
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He explained that the Assyrian Christian community was able to celebrate Akitu since the 1990s without any violence, suggesting that it was likely to be an “individual, unplanned attack”.
He said: “The Kurds in Duhok serve us water and candy even when they are fasting for Ramadan. This was likely an individual, unplanned attack, and it will not scare our people.”
An official investigation is being launched into the matter, while the community is intending to file a lawsuit.
“The Middle East is governed by religion, and as minorities, we suffer double because we are both ethnically and religiously different from the majority. But we have a cause, and we marched today to show that we have existed here for thousands of years. This attack will not stop our people,” he concluded.
