BAGHDAD A rocket attack killed six people and wounded nine others overnight at a sports stadium in oil-rich Kirkuk, north of Baghdad, Iraqi security forces said Sunday.
“Six civilians were killed and nine others were wounded in an attack with rocket-propelled grenades and medium-grade weapons,” they said in a statement.
It said the attack targeted a football stadium in Daquq in the ethnically diverse province of Kirkuk.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but security forces pointed the finger at Daesh “terrorist gangs.”
Iraq announced victory against Daesh in late 2017 after three years of ferocious fighting backed by paramilitary forces and the US-led air coalition.
But Daesh sleeper cells still carry out hit-and-run attacks, particularly in vast desert regions of northern and western Iraq near the porous border with Syria.
Those regions have long seen ethnic and religious tensions, with communities there remaining at odds over territory and oil.
On Sunday, the head of the Turkmen Front cast doubt on Daesh’s involvement.
“The targeting of Daquq is political par excellence, to create instability and impose political wills,” said Iraqi MP Arshad Al-Salehi.
Rocket attack kills six in Iraq’s oil-rich Kirkuk
Rocket attack kills six in Iraq’s oil-rich Kirkuk
- The attack occurred late Saturday in the village of Daquq
- The area of the attack is controlled by the Popular Mobilization Forces
Arab and Islamic states reject Israel’s recognition of Somaliland
- Israel formally recognized Somaliland as an “independent and sovereign state” on Friday
- Saudi Arabia on Friday expressed full support for sovereignty, unity, territorial integrity of Somalia
A group of foreign ministers from Arab and Islamic countries, alongside the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), have firmly rejected Israel’s announcement of its recognition of the Somaliland region within Somalia.
In a joint statement issued on Saturday, the ministers condemned Israel’s decision, announced on December 26, warning that the move carries “serious repercussions for peace and security in the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea region” and undermines international peace and security, the Jordan News Agency reported.
The statement described the recognition as an unprecedented and flagrant violation of international law and the charter of the United Nations, which uphold the principles of state sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity, JNA added.
Israel formally recognized Somaliland as an “independent and sovereign state” and signed an agreement to establish diplomatic ties, as the region’s leader hailed its first-ever official recognition.
The ministers reaffirmed their full support for the sovereignty of Somalia, rejecting any measures that would undermine its unity or territorial integrity.
They warned that recognizing the independence of parts of states sets a dangerous precedent and poses a direct threat to international peace and security.
The statement also reiterated categorical opposition to any attempt to link the move with plans to displace the Palestinian people outside their land, stressing that such proposals are rejected “in form and substance.”
Alongside the Jordanian foreign ministry, the joint statement was issued by the foreign ministers of Egypt, Algeria, Comoros, Djibouti, The Gambia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Maldives, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Qatar, Somalia, Sudan, Turkiye and Yemen, as well as the OIC.
Saudi Arabia on Friday expressed full support for the sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity of Somalia, and expressed its rejection of the declaration of mutual recognition between Israel and Somaliland.
