Manchester Vigil for Iraq

On Friday 8th July, Manchester’s Iraqi community assembled on Albert Square and facing the city’s Town Hall, held a vigil for the victims of the Karrada terrorist attacks in Baghdad. 

Despite early figures putting the number of those killed by Islamic State at around 200, the number of Iraqi deaths has increased rapidly to a known 300, as people have succumbed to wounds from the suicide blasts which hit Baghdad.

It is unknown the exact number of those injured by the blasts, or the numbers of those still missing, with sources among the Iraqi community claiming the numbers of those killed could be as high as 600 people. 

Present at the vigil, included a broad diversity of people, representing Iraq’s Muslim, Christian and Mandaean communities. Also in attendance, were members of Iraq’s diplomatic community, civil service and representatives from a wide range of political organisations. 

by Hussein Al-alak, editor of Iraq Solidarity News (Al-Thawra). You can read more by Hussein on his blog and you can now follow him on Tumblr