Iraqi Prime Minister Survives Assassination Attempt by Drone
Iraqi Prime Minister Survives Assassination Attempt by Drone
(Bloomberg) -- Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi survived an assassination attempt early Sunday after an explosive-laden drone targeted his residence inside the Green Zone.
The prime minister wasn’t hurt in the attack, the Iraqi army said in a statement. Al-Kadhimi called for calm in a tweet, and said he was doing well. He has personally brokered talks between Shiite power Iran and Saudi Arabia’s Sunni monarchy, whose rivalry has shaken parts of the Middle East.
It was not immediately clear who carried out the attack against the premier, a former intelligence chief whose significance extends beyond Baghdad. Iraq’s national security council said in a statement that “criminal armed groups” were responsible for the strike and vowed to arrest those involved.
Heavy gunfire erupted inside Baghdad’s fortified Green Zone that houses the U.S. Embassy and other foreign government offices, broadcaster al-Arabiya reported, citing security officials it didn’t identify. Five people were injured, it said.
“This apparent act of terrorism, which we strongly condemn, was directed at the heart of the Iraqi state,” U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price said in a statement. “We are in close touch with the Iraqi security forces charged with upholding Iraq’s sovereignty and independence and have offered our assistance as they investigate this attack.”
Hostilities between Iran-backed Shiite militias and the Iraqi government increased after last month’s parliamentary elections, where lawmakers backed by the influential Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr came first in the vote. Al-Kadhimi, an independent, is seeking support from Sadr and other blocs in order to be reinstated as premier but the political haggling drags on.
Iran condemned the attack and pledged to continue its “support for stability, security and peace in Iraq,” according to a statement by Saeed Khatibzadeh, spokesman for the foreign ministry. Ali Shamkhani, secretary general of the Supreme National Security Council wrote in a tweet that the assault amounted to a “new sedition” and pointed the finger at “foreign think tanks” trying to foment unrest in Iraq, without giving more details.
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