The United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) strongly condemns the attack that took place on 1 April 2025, targeting a gathering of Assyrian Christians in Duhok, in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, during their celebration of "Akitu", the Assyrian-Babylonian New Year.
Authorities in Duhok, in Iraq's Kurdistan region, announced on Wednesday that the attack carried out by a Syrian national during a Christian celebration in the city was an "act of terrorism." On Tuesday, the attacker infiltrated a gathering of Syriac Christians celebrating the Akitu festival in central Duhok.
The assailant behind the attack on Akitu celebrations in Duhok has been identified as a member of ISIS, according to Ashur Sliwa Niqo, a senior official in the Assyrian Democratic Movement. Niqo called for a public trial of the perpetrator, who reportedly shouted ISIS slogans during the assault.
(AP) -- The annual parade by Assyrian Christians in the Iraqi city of Dohuk to mark their new year was marred Tuesday when an axe-wielding man attacked the procession and wounded three people, witnesses and local officials said.
(AFP) -- Two people were injured on Tuesday in an attack on an Assyrian Christian celebration in northern Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region, officials said. The region's Asayesh police force said it was investigating the attack in the city of Dohuk and could not yet determine whether it was a "terrorist" act.
Duhok province in the Kurdistan Region hosted a major celebration on Tuesday for the Akitu festival, marking the Babylonian-Assyrian New Year 6775, drawing a large crowd of local and international attendees. The festive procession kicked off in front of the "Virgin Mary" Church in downtown Duhok, with participants marching along the main street to the celebration venue at the Mazi complex.