Terror Attack on Pilgrim Bus Near Samarra Denounced

Iran’s Foreign Ministry decried the terrorist attack on an Iranian pilgrim bus in the northern Iraqi Governorate of Salahuddin near the shrine city of Samarra, condemning the move as “inhumane”.  
Bahram Qasemi, the ministry’s spokesperson, said such criminal acts are aimed at damaging the good ties between the Iranian and Iraqi nations. 
“They will not achieve their evil aims and such tragedies will make the two nations more determined to eradicate the remnants of terrorists,” he added. 
At least nine Iranian pilgrims were wounded in the attack, according to the Iraqi media. An Iraqi assistant driver was also among the injured, ISNA reported.
The bus was targeted by gunmen on a road south of the town of Balad on its way to a Shia shrine on Sunday.
Morteza Aqaei, director general of Iran’s Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization, confirmed the news, saying the pilgrims came under the attack of terrorists.
"Three of the victims were in critical condition," he added. 
There were no immediate claims for the attack, but such assaults bear the hallmark of the self-styled Islamic State terrorist group.