ERBIL (Kurdistan Chronicle) — Hundreds of government officials, foreign diplomats, and families of victims on Wednesday gathered to commemorate the 19th anniversary of the 2004 bombings in Erbil which killed 101 people and injured hundreds more. 

Among the participants were Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani and Parliament Speaker Rewaz Fayiq, who respectively laid a wreath at the memorial in Sami Abdul Rahman Park, in Erbil. 

"Today we remember the tragedy of February 1st, 2004. It is a reminder that hate must never prevail and unity is the way forward," PM Barzani wrote on Twitter after the ceremony. 

Today we remember the tragedy of February 1st, 2004. It is a reminder that hate must never prevail and unity is the way forward. pic.twitter.com/COO9j2ipjr

— Masrour Barzani (@masrourbarzani) February 1, 2023

The twin bombings on 1st February 2004 targeted the headquarters of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) while people were celebrating the first day of Eid al-Adha. 

The US Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) Dan Senor told CNN back then that no claims of responsibility had been made but Al Qaeda or its affiliated groups were the primary suspects. 

Among the victims were dozens of senior officials from both the Kurdish parties, including Sami Abdul Rahman, after whom the park in Erbil where the memorial annually takes place, is named. 

Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani also marked the anniversary with a message in which he called for unity among the Kurds “who equally suffered from terrorism.” 

In what appeared to be a rather political message during heightened tensions among key political actors in the Kurdistan Region, Barzani encouraged close cooperation “to make the dreams of the martyrs come true and serve Kurdistan together.”