The Co-Presidency of the KCK (Kurdistan Communities Union) Executive Council released a statement about the twin bombings that killed dozens in Iran’s southeastern city of Kerman two days ago. The heavy explosions on the fourth anniversary of the death of Iranian General Ghassem Soleimani took place along a route leading to the grave of General Qassem Soleimani, as people had gathered to mark the fourth anniversary of his death. The first blast occurred 1.5km away from General Soleimani’s burial site. The second one took place at a 2.7km distance from the site. ISIS claimed responsibility for both “suicide attacks” on Thursday. 

According to the latest balance sheet announced by the state television, 89 people, including women and children, were killed in the attack.  At least 12 of the dead were reported to be Afghan citizens. The victims from Kerman were buried in the "cemetery of martyrs" near the grave of Qassem Soleimani. Others will be sent to their hometowns.

In a written statement on Friday, KCK accused the Turkish state and Tayyip Erdoğan’s administration for leading ISIS to attack Kurds and other peoples in the Middle East, especially such massacres.

The statement by the KCK Co-Presidency includes the following:

“On January 3, 2024, an attack was carried out against the people who went to the cemetery to commemorate Qasem Soleimani in Kirman, Iran, and a horrible massacre took place. Dozens of people lost their lives and hundreds were injured in this attack. On behalf of our movement and our people, we commemorate the massacred people with respect and offer our condolences to all Iranian peoples, especially to the families of those who lost their lives, and we wish a speedy recovery to the wounded. We strongly condemn this massacre, which was obvious from the beginning that it was carried out with the ISIS mentality and is now stated to have been carried out by ISIS.

This attack targeted not only the peoples of Iran, but all the peoples of the Middle East and was carried out with the aim of deepening and spreading the war in the Middle East. Some of the forces that pitted Hamas and Israel against each other, but did not get the results they expected after this happened, want the conflicts in the Middle East to deepen and the war to spread throughout the region and they are working for this. These forces have been trying to bring the Iranian state into conflict with Israel and the United States for a long time. The fact that this attack was carried out in Iran and coincided with the commemoration of Qasem Soleimani and his friends reveals such a purpose and plan. With this attack, the true faces of these forces, which try to present themselves as if they are against the war in Gaza, have been exposed.

The fact that this massacre was carried out by ISIS reveals the reality aims of them and the forces behind them. ISIS was supported by the powers that wanted to deepen the war in the Middle East and attacked all peoples, especially Kurds. Now the same forces have attacked through ISIS for the same purposes. Those who stood behind ISIS before, they are the ones who stand behind ISIS today. The Kurdish Freedom Movement and the people of Kurdistan fought against the brutality and fascism of ISIS, which was unleashed on the peoples in order to deepen the war and conflict in the Middle East and to turn the Middle East into a bloodbath and graveyard. And the Kurdish Freedom Movement saved the Middle East and the world from a great scourge by defeating ISIS. Our movement and our people will continue to fight against ISIS and the forces behind it, and to stand against all attacks of ISIS. This attack is similar to the attacks against our people and revolutionary democratic groups in many places including Northern Kurdistan, Rojava and Turkey, which resulted in massacres. Just as in the Kerman attack, people were directly targeted in these attacks and hundreds of people were killed and injured.

It was the Turkish state and Tayyip Erdoğan’s administration that led ISIS to attack Kurds and other peoples in the Middle East, especially led them to carry out such massacres. It is the Turkish state and the Tayyip Erdoğan administration again today that supports ISIS and directs it for its own purposes. They want the war in the Middle East to deepen. The fact that it attacks Kurds everywhere and carries out attacks against Rojava at a level that targets the entire infrastructure and superstructure clearly reveals this fact. This must be known and understood by everyone. War with the Kurds means the deepening and spread of war in the Middle East. It is unthinkable for those who have plans for peace and non-conflict in the Middle East to be at war with the Kurds.

We strongly condemn the Kerman massacre, which was carried out brutally. We pay tribute to those who lost their lives in the attack, wish a speedy recovery to the wounded, and share the deep sorrow of the Iranian people.”