In a statement, Iraqi Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmed Jamal said that around 40 Iraqis were killed in the blasts and blamed the attacks on “Takfiri groups.”
The attacks took place near the Bab al-Saqir cemetery which is located near one of the seven gates of the Old City of Damascus.
Twin blasts Saturday near holy shrines frequented by Shiites in the Syrian capital Damascus killed at least 40 people, most of them Iraqis, according to Syrian and Iraqi officials.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attacks. Islamic State militants have carried out similar attacks before against Shiite shrines in the Syrian capital and elsewhere. Extremist Sunni groups, such as IS, view Shiites as apostates and consider shrines a form of idolatry.
Syrian State TV aired footage from the scene showing blood-soaked streets and several damaged buses in a parking lot, apparently where the explosions went off near Bab al-Saghir cemetery. The cemetery is one of Damascus’ most ancient and is where several prominent religious figures are buried.
Interior Minister Mohammed al-Shaar visited the wounded in local hospitals. He said 40 were killed and 120 were wounded. He said the attacks targeted civilians, including Arab visitors, who were touring area’s shrines.
Iraq’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement that at least 40 Iraqis were killed and 120 wounded. Ministry spokesman Ahmed Jamal said buses carrying Iraqi pilgrims to the shrines were targeted. He said a crisis response team has been formed to expedite the identification and transport of the killed and wounded.
“The ministry calls on the international community to condemn this heinous terrorist crime that targeted civilian Iraqi visitors to the holy shrines. It also urges a firm and decisive stand against the takfiri groups responsible for them,” Jamal said in a statement. Takfiri is an Arabic derogatory term referring to extremist Sunni Muslims – such as members of the Islamic State group – who accuse other Muslims of being infidels.
Iraqi, Iranian and other Asian Shiites often visit shrines in Syria.
There were conflicting reports about what caused the explosions. State news agency SANA said the blasts were caused by bombs placed near the cemetery and that at least 33 were killed and more than a hundred wounded.
Lebanon’s Al-Manar TV quoted Syrian officials saying twin suicide attacks killed 40. The military media arm of Hezbollah, Lebanon’s militant group close to Damascus, said two suicide bombers blew themselves up 15 minutes apart near the shrines, leading to the large number of casualties. Arab TV Al-Mayadeen, airing the conflicting reports, also said at least 40 were killed. The area was sealed after the explosions.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition monitoring group with activists on the ground, said at least 46 were killed in the twin explosions. The group said the first blast came after a suicide bomber blew himself up among the pilgrims near the shrines. It was not clear what caused the second explosion, the group said, adding that the death toll is likely higher because dozens were wounded.
Mohammed Haytham al-Hosseini, head of the National Hospital in Damascus, told pro-government Sama TV that 41 killed arrived to his facility. He said at least three wounded were in critical condition.
A similar attack in Damascus last year targeted one of the most revered Shiite shrines and was claimed by Islamic State militants.
Bab al-Saghir is one of the seven gates of the old city of Damascus and houses a cemetery where a number of early Islam religious figures, including family members of Prophet Muhammad and figures revered by Shiites, are buried.
The so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the bombings targeted Shia pilgrims – a hallmark of Takfiri terrorists such as Daesh.
They came after new airstrikes suspected to have been conducted by the US killed 28 civilians in and around Raqqah on Friday and Saturday, the observatory reported.
The strikes hit a village on the eastern outskirts of the Daesh-held city, leaving four people dead and several others injured. US warplanes also targeted a school in the same area but caused no casualties.
On Friday, US airstrikes on Raqqah killed 24 civilians, among them eight children and six women. Six Daesh militants were also killed in the strikes.
The Observatory also reported fierce clashes between US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and Daesh terrorists along the border between the Syrian provinces of Dayr al-Zawr and Raqqah.
Washington has been leading a bombing campaign in Syria against what are said to be Daesh positions inside the country since September 2014 without any authorization from Damascus or a UN mandate. The strikes have led to a high number of civilian deaths.
Back in January, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu accused the US-led coalition of having made no positive contribution to the counter-terrorism fight in Syria but having rather worsened the conflict there.
In another development on Friday, the Syrian army intercepted a Turkish truck carrying arms and ammunition to Daesh terrorists in Hama Province.
SANA said the arms were seized in an ambush by an army unit on a tip provided by locals in Hama’s Wadi al-Azib area.
The truck, which had Turkish papers and license plates, contained 5,516 rounds for 23mm anti-air guns, 111,780 PKC machine gun rounds, and a number of RPG launchers.
Syrian army troops and allied fighters have been fighting against different foreign-backed militant and terrorist groups wreaking havoc in the Arab country since 2011.
