Iran deplores human tragedy in Syrian Kurdish town of Hasakah

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Marziyeh Afkham

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson on Sunday condemned the terrorist act of extremist groups in the Syrian Kurdish town of Hasakah which killed and wounded dozens of innocent people celebrating Nowruz.

Marziyeh Afkham expressed sympathy with the bereaved families and hoped that terrorism would be uprooted by the cooperation of regional governments.

Twin bombs exploded among crowds gathered for Kurdish spring celebrations in the northeastern Syrian city of al-Hasakah late Friday, leaving dozens dead and many more injured, Kurdish officials and activists said.

Some 46 people were killed after two car bombs were detonated among a crowd of people celebrating Nowruz Friday night.

Asya Abdullah, co-chair of the Democratic Union Party which governs al-Hasakah and the surrounding region, said, “We had canceled Nowruz celebrations in different places because we knew of the threat, and this one wasn’t an officially organized ceremony.”

“The death toll is likely to rise because some are suffering from heavy injuries,” said Idres Nassan, a senior official from Kobani, who was in Diyarbakir of Turkey to attend the main Nowruz celebrations to be held Saturday.

The terrorist attacks came after fears of an attack on Kurdish celebrations across the region after a year of fighting Islamic State militants on the battlefields across Syria and Iraq.