ERBIL, Iraqi Kurdistan — The Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) has claimed responsibility for the March 11 suicide bombings that killed nine civilians in the city of Qamishli, the unofficial capital of the Kurdish regions of Syria. The al-Qaeda offshoot asserted in a statement released March 12, “The Islamic State announces its responsibility for the commando raid operation that targeted one of the PKK [Kurdistan Workers Party] apostates' bases in the town of Qamishli in northern al-Baraka province."

The suicide bombings targeted the Al-Hadaya hotel, which was used for municipal services. Unconfirmed reports suggested that a meeting between high-ranking officials of the PKK-affiliated Democratic Union Party (PYD) had been held in the hotel. The dead were buried March 12 with thousands of Kurds in attendance in Qamishli.

According to ISIS, "The commando raiders of the al-Baraka operation targeted the Al-Hadaya hotel, on Al-Wahda street, which was used as a PKK apostates' leadership base after they seized it. Two lions of the Islamic State carried out the commando raid of the al-Baraka operation: Abu Mohammed al-Ansari [a Syrian] and Jarij al-Jazrawi [a Saudi], may God Almighty accept them. The two commando raiders assaulted the base, carried out a sweeping operation of its two floors, and then detonated their belts to kill all those on the base.”

In addition, the ISIS accused the PKK of hiding the deaths of military personnel among the nine people killed to “lessen the pressure of the misfortune on their supporters." Contradicting ISIS, Faysal Naso, a Qamishli resident and member of the Kurdish Democratic Party of Syria (KDP-S), a PYD rival, told Al-Monitor that only civilians had been killed in the attack. He also offered, “Dec. 12 is the tenth anniversary of the Kurdish uprising against the Syrian government. That’s the reason they attacked.”