Iran slams shooting attack on Nigeria Quds Day rally

Iran has strongly deplored a deadly assault by Nigerian forces on a group of demonstrators taking part in the rallies held in support of the Palestinian nation on International Quds Day.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran regards the armed attack on the Quds Day rallies in the city of Zaria in Nigeria as unacceptable and totally inhumane,” said Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham on Monday.

Afkham further said pro-Palestinian demonstrators in Nigeria had been “mercilessly” targeted just like the defenseless residents of the Gaza Strip, which has been the scene of a bloody Israeli offensive over the past 20 days.

The Iranian official also called on the Nigerian government to shoulder its responsibility to track down those behind the shooting assault and punish them.

According to Press TV, 25 Nigerian demonstrators had been gunned down by security forces during an anti-Israeli rally held to mark International Quds Day in the ancient city of Zaria in Nigeria’s Kaduna State on July 25.

Among those killed was 18-year-old Syed Mahmud Ibrahim al-Zakzaky, a son of Sheikh Ibrahim al-Zakzaky, the leader of Nigeria’s Islamic Movement, which had called for the rally.

Reports say another son of the Muslim leader was also injured and two others were arrested. Later, military forces reportedly killed all the detainees, including Sheikh al-Zakzaky’s two sons.

Every year, many countries in the world observe International Quds Day on the last Friday of the Muslim month of Ramadan by holding rallies to voice solidarity with the Palestinian nation in the face of Israeli occupation and atrocities.