OREANDA-NEWS. On July 28 in Kirkuk, a city in northern Iraq, at least 22 people died as a result of bomb blasts and 120 more were injured – with varying degrees of severity – according to media reports. A suicide bomber set off an explosive device in a crowd of protesters against the law on local elections which the parliament and leadership of the country are considering. Another terrorist act, on that same day in Baghdad, killed more than 30 people and injured about 100 others. Three suicide bombers blew themselves up on the day when Shiite pilgrims were heading to participate in religious ceremonies.

We express our sincere condolences to the kith and kin of the dead and feelings of sympathy for the injured. We strongly condemn all terrorist manifestations claiming innocent lives and any violent actions directed at stirring up interfaith strife in Iraq and at thwarting efforts to normalize the domestic political situation in the country.

Russia, an active member of the antiterrorist coalition, categorically rejects the use of violence to achieve political aims. We reiterate our conviction that an all-embracing dialogue among all Iraqi political parties and ethnoconfessional groups, regardless of their political or religious beliefs, directed at achieving national reconciliation and consensus, is a reliable way of ensuring a durable settlement, stability and prosperity in Iraq.