Iran vows to stand by Iraq in fight against terrorists

Iranian Foreign Ministry has denounced the latest deadly bombings in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, saying the Islamic Republic will support Iraq in its fight against terrorists until their final defeat.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran will stand by the Iraqi government and nation until the complete defeat of terrorists,” Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qasemi said on Sunday.

At least 91 people were killed and some 205 others injured in two bombings in a Shia neighborhood in Baghdad early on Sunday, Iraqi security and health officials said.

They added that 86 people were killed and at least 200 others wounded when a car bomb went off at a busy commercial street in Baghdad’s Shia neighborhood of Karrada.

The second explosion occurred at an outdoor market in the Shaab neighborhood of southeastern Baghdad, leaving five dead and wounding five others.

In a twitter post, the Daesh terrorist group claimed responsibility for the attacks which, it said, were aimed at Shia neighborhoods.

Qasemi added that the recapture of the strategic western city of Fallujah from Daesh terrorists and their successive defeats in other areas have pushed the Takfiris and their supporters to carry out more desperate measures and massacre innocent people.

On June 26, the commander of the Fallujah liberation operation, Lieutenant General Abdul Wahab al-Saidi, said the last remaining district held by Daesh in Fallujah had been retaken and declared the city’s full liberation from the terrorists.

Saidi further stated that at least 1,800 Takfiri militants were killed in the Fallujah operation.

Fallujah, located some 65 kilometers (40 miles) west of the capital, Baghdad, was the first Iraqi city to fall to Daesh terrorists in January 2014.

Iran condemns terrorist incident in Bangladesh

The Iranian spokesperson also on Sunday condemned the terrorist incident in the Bangladeshi capital of Dhaka.

“This ominous move once again showed the ugly face of terrorism and the killing of innocent people,” Qasemi said.

He added that the world must listen to Iran’s peace-seeking call and launch a genuine campaign against terrorism and extremism.

This terrorist incident proved that terrorism is not bound to any particular region, nationality and faith, he said while stressing the importance of collective cooperation among all countries to fight this scourge.

The Iranian spokesman emphasized that pursuing double-standard and divergent policies on heinous terrorist moves in the region will undoubtedly create instability and insecurity while increasing violence and posing a danger to international peace and security.

“All peace-loving countries in the world must make efforts to decrease such inhuman crimes by exerting pressure on the supporters of these extremist groups,” Qasemi pointed out.

Late on Friday, a group of armed men attacked the upscale cafe in the diplomatic area of the Bangladeshi capital at around 9:20 p.m. local time (1320 GMT), setting off explosives and taking a number of people hostage, including foreigners. Police said eight to nine gunmen armed with assault rifles and grenades were holed up inside.

The Bangladeshi army said on Saturday that 20 civilians, all of them foreigners, have been killed by Daesh-linked gunmen after security forces ended the siege at the cafe.

The Daesh terror group claimed responsibility for the attack. It posted photos of what it said were dead foreigners killed in the assault.

In recent months, Daesh and al-Qaeda have claimed several deadly attacks mainly targeting secular bloggers, academics and members of religious minorities, including Shia Muslims, Hindus and Christians.

However, Dhaka denies that Daesh is active in the country and blames opposition parties or local militant groups for the killings.