Al-Qaida-linked group claims responsibility for twin bombings in northern Iraq
PLA Daily 2004-02-05
BAGHDAD, Feb. 4 (Xinhuanet) -- A group said to be linked with al-Qaida on Wednesday claimed responsibility for the twin bombing attacks in Iraq's northern city of Arbil on Sunday that left atleast 105 people dead and more than 130 others injured.
The Ansar al-Sunna, or Army of the Protectors of the Sunna which refers to the collective teachings of the Prophet Muhammad, madethe announcement in a statement posted in Arabic on a Web site thatfrequently carries statements by Islamic militants.
"Two of our martyr brothers attacked the two dens of Satan in Arbil" on Sunday, said the little known Islamist group in the statement, adding "our joy on Eid al-Adha (Feast of the Sacrifice)was boosted by this attack against the agents of Jews and Christians."
The group also expressed sympathies with "brothers" of another militant group Ansar al-Islam, which Kurdish political groups have fingered in the Arbil attack and which is suspected of links to Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida network.
It was not possible to independently verify the statement. Butthe name of the group was included among a dozen insurgent groups that issued a joint statement this week in Ramadi and Fallujah warning Iraqis against cooperating with the US-led occupation.
The near-simultaneous suicide attacks occurred at about 10:45 a.m. (0745 GMT) on Sunday as the offices were packed with hundreds ofpeople celebrating the Eid al-Adha, or the Feast of Sacrifice, a major Muslim holiday.
Several senior politicians from both the Kurdish Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) were killed in the attacks.
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