Statement regarding the terrorist attack in al-Hasakah

Kurdish National Council in Syria – Geneva Office

04 October 2016

In the evening of October 3, 2016, an Islamist terrorist blew himself up at the wedding of the well-known Kurdish family Fatîme in the city of al-Hasakah and killed at least 20 people, another 70 were injured. Among the victims are numerous public figures, as for example the politician Baha Fatîme, Central Committee member of the Kurdish Union Party in Syria (Yekîtî). The suicide bombing, for which IS claimed responsibility, is a further harrowing experience in the people’s life in the Kurdish areas and follows the IS attacks in the cities of Qamishli and al-Hasakah in July 2016.

The Kurdish National Council in Syria strongly condemns this shocking terror attack and conveys its sincerest condolences to all relatives and friends of the victims who were assassinated and injured by an Islamist terrorist in a moment of intense joy.

Kamiran Hajo, head of the Foreign Relations Office of the KNC, states: “This perfidious crime shows the importance to protect the Kurdish territories and the security of the people who are living here. The KNC is determined to establish this security and to intensify the fight against terrorism. Regarding this, it is indispensable to enable the return of the Roj-Peshmerga to Syrian Kurdistan to prevent such horrible attacks on civil life. Especially since the Roj-Peshmerga were trained in Iraqi Kurdistan and are well field-proved in the fight against IS. We demand from the PYD to dismiss its claim of exclusive control and to give the KNC the opportunity to apply its energies even more to protect the Kurdish territories in Syria.”