Turkey strongly condemns attacks on Shiite pilgrims in Iraq

Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday that its country strongly condemned the recent spate of attacks on Shiite pilgrims throughout Iraq.

In the statement, Turkey expressed profound sorrow over the twin suicide bombings that killed over 100 Shiite pilgrims in southern Iraq on Tuesday.

Tuesday's deadly bombings, targeting a crowd of Shiite pilgrims in Hilla, some 100 km south of Baghdad, killed 105 people and wounded up to 195 others, a medical source in Hilla hospital told Xinhua on Wednesday.

"We condemn these heinous attacks and all kinds of acts of terrorism targeting friendly relations among Muslims," the statement said.

"We hope that common-sense will prevail in Iraq, sectarian clashes will come to an end, terrorism will be eradicated and all sufferings of Iraqi people will end," it said.

"Turkey is determined to intensify its ongoing efforts for the well-being and happiness of Iraqi people, and to further develop its cooperation with Iraqi government to this end," the statement added.

The ministry also offered condolences to those who lost their beloved ones in the attacks.

Iraq has in the recent days witnessed a spasm of attacks against Shiite pilgrims, with over 100 of them being killed so far.

The violence came ahead of the Shiite occasion of Arba'een (40 days after the day of Ashura), which is the commemoration of the martyrdom by beheading of Imam al-Hussein bin Ali, the grandson of Prophet Muhammad who was killed in the seventh century.

Source: Xinhua