Azerbaijan’s top cleric expresses solidarity with Türkiye after fatal school shootings

The head of the Caucasus Muslims Office, Sheikh-ul-Islam Allahshukur Pashazade, has expressed condolences to Türkiye following deadly attacks at schools in the provinces of Şanlıurfa and Kahramanmaraş.

Thus, Pashazade sent a message of sympathy to Safi Arpaguş, Chairman of Türkiye’s Presidency of Religious Affairs (Diyanet), saying the incidents had caused “deep sorrow” among the Azerbaijani people, local media reports.

In his letter, Pashazade said the attacks on teachers and students in Şanlıurfa and Kahramanmaraş were a source of profound grief, stressing hope that such events would not be repeated and would not undermine stability in “brotherly Türkiye”.

He extended condolences to the families of those killed, the Turkish public, and wished a swift recovery for those injured.

The statement follows two separate incidents. On April 14, an armed attack at a high school in the Siverek district of Şanlıurfa left one person dead and 16 others injured. A day later, a separate attack on a school in Kahramanmaraş killed nine people and injured 13 more.

By Aghakazim Guliyev