Baghdad: Prime Minister of Iraq Mustafa Al-Kadhimi survived an assassination attempt with armed drones targeted at his residence on Sunday. The officials have said that the Prime Minister was not injured.
Two Iraqi officials (anonymous) have informed that 7 of Al-Kadhimi’s security guards were injured in the attack.
Shortly after the attack took place, the Prime Minister tweeted, “I am fine and among my people. Thank God”.
“Cowardly rocket and drone attacks don’t build homelands and don’t build a future”, he stated later during his address to an Iraqi news channel.
State-run media released a statement noting that the security forces took all the necessary measures to tackle this failed attempt.
No immediate claims for the attack were made.
The supporters of pro-Iran Shiite militias have camped outside the Green Zone for nearly a month amid a stand-off with the security forces as a rejection of Iraq’s parliamentary elections in which they had incurred a loss of around two-third of their seats.
Earlier on Friday, the protest turned violent when the demonstrators tried entering the Green Zone.
The security forces used tear gas and live ammunition. One protester, who had a link with the militants, was killed. While, dozens of security forces members were injured during an exchange of fire.
An investigation has been initiated under the orders of Al-Kadhimi to identify the reason that led to clashes and the culprit who violated the orders of ‘not to do open fire’.
The former intelligence chief, Al-Kadhimi, became the Prime Minister of Iraq in May last year.
The militias consider him close to the U.S. as he attempted to balance alliances of Iraq with both Iran and the U.S.
In a tweet made on Sunday, the Secretary of Iran’s national security council, Ali Shamkhani indirectly said that the United States was behind the attack, adding that, “Is a new sedition that must be traced back to foreign think tanks, which have brought nothing but insecurity, disorder and instability to oppressed Iraqi people through the creation and support of terrorist groups and the occupation of this country for years”.
A spokesperson for the United States Department of State, Ned Price, strongly condemns the attack saying, “This apparent act of terrorism, which we strongly condemn, was directed at the heart of the Iraqi state.” He further offered assistance in the investigation of the attack.
