Ramadan - a month of sorrow after deadly attacks by so-called Islamic State

Ramadan - a month of sorrow after deadly attacks by so-called Islamic State
By Euronews
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Tragedy in Orlando.

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Tragedy in Orlando. The attack on a gay club left 49 dead. It sparked vigils and outrage across the globe.

A “lone wolf” had carried out the atrocity with the so-called Islamic State admitting responsibility.

This is the second year in row that the jihadists have used Islam’s holy month of Ramadan to launch a series of deadly assaults.

Within a few days ISIL struck again. This time the target was a military site at the Yemeni port of Mukalla. There were several attacks. Forty three were killed among them soldiers and members of the secret service.

The next day three suicide bombers armed with assault rifles burst into the Ataturk airport in Istanbul. They killed 44 people and injured 150. The attack was attributed to the militants by the authorities.

July brought no let up in the murderous spree. On the first day of the month ISIL claimed responsibility for a siege in a restaurant in Dhaka in Bangladesh in which 35 people were taken hostage.Twenty were killed including Italian and Japanese.

On July 3, as many people were out shopping in a Shia district of Baghdad ISIL struck again with devastating effect. A bomb in a truck exploded which left more than 250 dead. It was the deadliest attack in 13 years of war and insurgency. The militants claimed the attack against Shiites.

The next day Saudi Arabia was the target. The kingdom was struck by three attacks. They included one by a suicide bomber who detonated his bomb outside the Prophet’s Mosque in the holy city of Medina. One person was killed.

Thousands visit the site at the end of Ramadan and it is a place were violence is prohibited. The attack caused outrage in Sunny and Shiite communities.

“For terrorist groups like ISIL and others, Ramadan is the month of jihad. Some commit their attacks on the 17th of the month of Ramadan. That is the when the battle of Badr took place. It was key in the early days of Islam and a seen as a turning point in Muhammad’s struggle with his opponents.

‘During Ramadan there are more crowds gathered in one place and so more victims as happened in Baghdad.

‘Finally these are strong messages by the terrorists to show they can strike anywhere despite the security measures as happened in Medina,” explained euronews correspondent Riad Muasses.

On Wednesday Muslims across the world celebrated the three day festival of Eid al-Fitr. It marks the close of Ramadan and the end of a month-long fast during daylight hours.

It is traditionally celebrated with the family. This year it has been marred by sorrow.

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