BAGHDAD, 23 April 2012 – UNICEF condemns an attack that took place yesterday on a secondary school that killed two children and injured one near the northern Iraqi city of Tikrit. 

“UNICEF condemns this attack in the strongest terms” said Maria Calivis, UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa. “The killing of children is unacceptable. Attacks on schools, which are meant to provide a safe learning environment, is a grave violation of children’s rights.”

According to several reports, five armed men stormed into the school, two are said to have entered a 4th grade class and opened fire on the students, killing 16-year-old and 17-year-old boys and injuring a third aged 16.

UNICEF calls on the Government of Iraq to take the necessary measures to bring to justice those responsible for this attack and take swift action to ensure that measures are put in place to guarantee the safe access to schools to all children in Iraq. ###

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About UNICEF

UNICEF works in 190 countries and territories to help children survive and thrive, from early childhood through adolescence. The world’s largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments. For more information about UNICEF and its work visit: www.unicef.org.

For more information, please contact:

Jaya Murthy, UNICEF Iraq, Tel + 962796926190, jmurthy@unicef.org

Salam Abdulmunem, UNICEF Iraq, Tel + 964 780 912 6782, sabdulmunem@unicef.org