‘Takfiris behind Iraq terrorist attack’

Iran Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani says Takfiri groups carried out the terrorist bomb attack against his Iraqi counterpart, calling on Iraqi officials to maintain their national unity.

“I suspect that perpetrators of this [act of] terror are neither Shia nor Sunni Muslims but they are Takfiri groups who have been in Iraq for a while,” Larijani told reporters on Tuesday on the sidelines of a ceremony held to mark the 35th anniversary of the victory of the Islamic Revolution.

Iraq parliament speaker Osama al-Nujaifi on Monday escaped a bomb attack after a convoy carrying him was hit by a roadside bomb in the northern city of Mosul.

According to police and medical sources, one of Nujaifi’s bodyguards was injured in the blast, but the speaker himself escaped unharmed.

Larijani expressed regret over the terrorist attack against his Iraqi counterpart and said, “Those responsible for this terrorist attack are among Iraq’s real enemies.”

The Iranian lawmaker added that Takfiri groups seek to stabilize US interests in Iraq as Washington is withdrawing its forces from the Middle Eastern country.

Larijani urged Iraqi officials to adopt measures to reduce political conflicts, increase cooperation and resist against acts of terror in order to rid Iraq of Takfiri groups.

Mosul and surrounding Nineveh Province are among Iraq’s most volatile areas, with assaults regularly targeting security forces, government officials as well as civilians.