Suspected ISIS attacker targets Akitu Festival in Duhok
Shafaq News/ A suspected ISIS-linked attack injured two people during celebrations for Akitu, the Babylonian-Assyrian New Year, in Duhok, security sources said Tuesday.
The attack unfolded in a crowded marketplace, where the suspect first assaulted an elderly woman before turning on a 17-year-old participant in the festival’s parade.
The teenager’s mother said her son had traveled from Qaraqosh earlier that day to join the festivities. "At noon, we received a call saying he had been taken to the hospital with a deep head wound," she told Shafaq News. Doctors managed to stop the bleeding, and his condition is now stable.
Witnesses reported that the elderly woman was struck multiple times on the back and head while shopping with her daughter. She was rushed to Duhok Emergency Hospital’s intensive care unit.
Security sources told Shafaq News that the suspect entered the marketplace before launching his attack and was later restrained by the crowd. Initial investigations suggest he belongs to a terrorist organization, with some reports linking him to ISIS.
Ninos Odesho, a senior member of the Assyrian Democratic Movement, condemned the attack as an "act of terrorism," claiming the suspect was a Syrian national.
"He was shouting ‘Islamic State’ as he was being arrested," Odesho said, referencing video footage of the incident circulating on social media. He urged authorities to launch a full investigation to uncover potential accomplices.
Despite the violence, Akitu celebrations proceeded as planned, with thousands of participants from across Iraq and beyond. The parade, which began at St. Mary’s Church, made its way through the city’s main streets before culminating in a public gathering at Mazi Complex, where attendees waved flags and performed traditional dances.
