Iran urges serious, swift anti-terrorism fight

Iran strongly condemns terrorist attacks in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, urging the international community to seriously and swiftly fight against the inhumane phenomenon of terrorism.

“The occurrence of such terrorist attacks, at a time when Iraq’s armed forces alongside the country’s people and valiant nomads are fighting blind terrorism, reveals the grudge held by and the contempt of terrorist groups for innocent people to take revenge on them,” Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham said on Wednesday.

“Such regretful incidents once again showed that terrorism is not committed to any principle,” she added.

Afkham expressed hope that Iraq would overcome the ongoing difficult situation and settle problems through national unity and coherence as well as the through continuation of the fight against aggressive and extremist powers.

At least 16 people were killed in a spate of bombings in the Iraqi capital on Wednesday.

In the deadliest blast, two car bombs went off outside Iraq’s Foreign Ministry building in Baghdad, killing at least seven people and wounding 15 others.

Five people were killed and 12 others injured in another bomb attack which hit a restaurant in the capital on the same day.

Four more people lost their lives and eight others suffered injuries in a car bomb attack which rocked Khilani Square in Baghdad’s commercial centre.

Iraqi medical officials have confirmed the number of casualties.

According to the figures compiled by Iraq’s ministries of health, interior and defense and released on Friday, 1,013 people were killed in January, including 795 civilians, 122 soldiers and 96 policemen.

The death toll is the highest since April 2008 when 1,073 people were killed.