Baghdad-INA
President Nizar Amedi affirmed today, Wednesday, on the anniversary of the occupation of Mosul by ISIS terrorist gangs, that this day marks one of darkest chapters in Iraq's history.
The President of the Republic said in a statement received by the Iraqi News Agency (INA): “On the anniversary of the events of June 10, we recall with deep pain one of the darkest chapters in the history of modern Iraq, when ISIS terrorist gangs invaded our cities and our land, and committed horrific crimes against all components of the Iraqi people, targeting humanity, identity, history and civilization.”
It added, “On this painful occasion, we stand in reverence before the souls of the martyrs who fell victim to terrorism, and we remember the genocide that our Yazidi sons were subjected to in Sinjar, and the accompanying killing, displacement, enslavement and grave violations that shook the conscience of humanity,we also remember the Speicher tragedy in which hundreds of our innocent youth were killed in a brutal crime that will remain a testament to the ugliness and darkness of terrorist thought.”
It continued: “We proudly recall the courageous national stand taken by Iraqis in the face of this existential threat, when the sons of the nation, with their various affiliations, ethnicities, religions, and sects, united in defense of Iraq and its sovereignty.”
The statement added: “We salute the heroic actions of our brave security forces from the army, police, Popular Mobilization Forces, tribal mobilization forces, and Peshmerga forces, and all those who answered the call of national duty, inspired by the fatwa of sufficient jihad issued by the supreme religious authority in Najaf, which contributed to mobilizing national energies and unifying ranks to confront and defeat terrorism.”
It explained that “the Iraqis proved in that ordeal that the strength of Iraq lies in its unity and the cohesion of its people, and that terrorism, no matter how brutal and criminal, cannot break the will of a people who believe in their homeland and their future.”
It stated that "remembering those events should be an incentive to continue working to prevent the recurrence of tragedies, to consolidate the values of citizenship, justice and the rule of law, and to promote civil peace and coexistence among all components of our people."
It stressed that "our national responsibility today requires, more than ever, strengthening the home front, unifying the national discourse, protecting the gains achieved with the blood of the martyrs and the sacrifices of the heroes, and working together to build a strong, just and prosperous state that guarantees dignity, security and opportunities for all Iraqis."