BAGHDAD, May 26 (Xinhua) -- The Iraqi government on Friday condemned the deadly attack by unidentified gunmen on a bus carrying Christians travelling to a church in Egypt's southern province of Minya.
"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly condemns the ugly terrorist action, which targeted a bus carrying Coptic Civilians in Minya province," the Iraqi ministry said in a statement.
It confirmed that Iraq stands beside the people and government of Egypt against all extremist and terrorist groups, which target the unity of the Egyptian people.
Iraq reiterates its call for the need to strike harder the dens of extremism in the region, and the need to dry up the sources of support, funding and media platforms that promote the extremism and terrorism, according to the statement.
Earlier in the day, some ten gunmen in two cars, intercepted two buses, on the way to Samuel monastery south of Cairo, and opened fire on the buses randomly, leaving at least 26 Christians killed and 25 others wounded.
No group yet claimed responsibility for attack.
About 70 Coptic Christians, who make up about 10 percent of Egypt's population of 92 million, have been killed in bomb attacks on churches in the cities of Cairo, Alexandria and Tanta since December.
Those attacks were claimed by Islamic State (IS).
