An unidentified man attacked a girl and her mother during celebrations of Assyrian New Year Akitu in Duhok Northern province of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq KRI on Tuesday April 1st.
"The attacker used a knife to harm the celebrants, resulting in injuries to a mother and daughter who were then taken to the hospital," reported KirkukNow journalist Ammar Aziz. "It is unclear how the attack unfolded. It is unknown whether the incident occurred within the party or if the assailant targeted them from outside. The matter is currently under investigation by security agencies," he added.
Sanwar Daniel, spokesman for the Assyrian Movement in Duhok, informed KirkukNow that the attack occurred during the Akito festival, carried out by a single individual. A woman sustained severe injuries and is currently receiving intensive care.
"The perpetrator has been apprehended by the police. He was heard shouting 'Allahu Akbar' before wielding the knife, but his identity and motive remain unknown," Daniel stated.
April 1st marks the Chaldean, Syrian, and Assyrian New Year, known as Akito, which is celebrated annually by members of these communities who wear traditional attire and prepare traditional dishes. The Christian community all over the KRI gather in Duhok to celebrate Assyrian Babylonian new year Akitu.
The Christian component is the second largest religion in Iraq after Islam. It is a religion approved in the constitution, and their language is Syriac. Christians have five quota seats in the Iraqi Parliament.
When the "Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant - ISIL" imposed its control over Mosul and large swathes of Iraq in 2014, Christians were faced with three options: convert to Islam, pay a tax, or leave their areas without any belongings, so most of them chose to flee.
Two decades ago, Iraq was home for over 1.5 million Christians, 3% of Iraq's population falling to 800,000 in 2003 following gulf war. They are mainly living in the provinces of Baghdad, Nineveh, Duhok, Kirkuk and Erbil. Latest figures say currently only 250,000 to 500,000 Christians are living in Iraq. The number of Christians in Iraq has fallen to 250,000, mostly in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region IKR, the Iraqi High Commission for Human Rights said last March.
The Iraqi constitution recognized Christianity, second religion in Iraq following Islam, and their Syriac language. Figures by the Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government KRG shows that out of 700,000 IDPs in 26 camps for Internally Displaced Persons IDPs, over 7% were Christians.
