ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – An imam has been shot dead in the city of Qaladze in the Kurdistan Region. The motive is still unknown.
“He was shot dead by somebody after the Friday sermon was finished,” Osman Mohammed, deputy director of Qaladze hospital, told Rudaw.
The deceased man was identified by Mohammed as Azim Sidiq Ali, known as Mala Ahmedi Dere, aged 45.
“The imam was married. The reason behind the incident is still not clear. The investigation by the security forces is ongoing,” Rizgar Qadir, head of the main headquarters of the Islamic Group (Komal) in Rania, told Rudaw.
“Mala Ahmed was a member of the Islamic Group’s fifth center and was the head of the party’s union of [Islamic] preachers,” he added.
The Kurdistan Region’s ministry of religious affairs condemned the killing.
“We strongly condemn the killing of this religious preacher. These kinds of heinous acts endanger peace in the society. We therefore call upon the security establishment of the Region and other relevant departments to find, arrest, and try the culprits of this heinous act,” the ministry said in a statement.
Qaladze is located east of Dukan Lake.
