IRAQ – (WARSOOR) – Iraqi security forces are seen as they tightened security measures after an assassination attempt on Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, in Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday, November 7.
Troops deployed around Baghdad on Sunday following the failed assassination attempt with armed drones that targeted the residence of Iraq’s prime minister. The attack significantly ramped up tensions sparked by the refusal of Iran-backed militias to accept last month’s parliamentary election results.
Seven of Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi’s security guards were wounded in the attack by at least two armed drones in Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone area, according to two Iraqi officials. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to give official statements.
Al-Kadhimi was unharmed. He later appeared on Iraqi television, seated behind a desk in a white shirt, looking calm and composed. His left hand appeared to be wrapped in a bandage. An aide confirmed a light cut.
“Cowardly rocket and drone attacks don’t build homelands and don’t build a future,” he said. Later Sunday, he received Iraqi President Barham Salih and headed a government security meeting.
Residents of Baghdad heard an explosion followed by heavy gunfire from the direction of the Green Zone, which houses foreign embassies and government offices. Handout photos showed the damage in al-Kadhimi’s residence, including smashed windows and doors blown off their hinges.
There was no claim for the attack, but suspicion immediately fell on Iran-backed militias who had been publicly attacking al-Kadhimi and issuing threats. (AP)