Iraq: Drone strike against the country’s prime minister

His prime minister is safe and sound Iraq, Mustafa al-Kazimi, after attack with a “drone trapped with explosives” aimed at his home inside the Green Zone in Baghdad, as announced by his office.

Security sources told Reuters that Six members of Kadimi’s bodyguard were injured in the attack, the responsibility of which has not been taken by any organization so far.

“I am fine, fortunately, and I ask for calm and restraint on the part of everyone for the good of Iraq.”, Kazimi wrote in a post on Twitter.

Earlier, two security sources told AFP that a “rocket” had landed at the prime minister’s home in the Green Zone, which houses government buildings and foreign embassies, including the United States. Western diplomats in the Green Zone told Reuters they heard explosions and gunfire in the area.

Following the attack, a large number of security forces deployed in and around the Green Zone, according to a source.

“Apparently terrorist act”

“We are relieved to learn that the prime minister came out unscathed. “This apparent terrorist act, which we strongly condemn, was aimed at the heart of the Iraqi state,” said State Department spokesman Ned Price in a statement.

“We are in close contact with the Iraqi security forces responsible for defending Iraq’s sovereignty and independence, and we have offered to assist in investigating this attack,” he added.

Rocket attacks against the Green Zone are repeated. On October 31, three rockets landed in Mansour, a nearby neighborhood, leaving no one injured.

Effervescence due to elections

The attack on Kazimi, who has been in power since May 2020, comes at a time when Iraq is experiencing intense political tensions linked to the October 10 snap parliamentary elections.

Hasd al-Saabi, an alliance of Shiite militias affiliated with Iran, is challenging the election results. Its political wing, the Conquest Alliance, has seen its seats in parliament drastically reduced, according to preliminary results.

Clashes erupted on Friday between hundreds of Hasd al-Saabi supporters and security forces near the Green Zone. According to a security source, one protester was killed, while a source close to the Shiite alliance spoke of “two dead”.

Proponents of her case have been working to make the actual transcript of this statement available online. Proponents of her case have been working to make the actual transcript of this statement available online.

Despite her electoral defeat, Hasd al-Saabi will remain a major player on the Iraqi political chessboard thanks to alliances within parliament and the cooperation of independent lawmakers.

However, according to preliminary results, the big winner of the election is the Shiite movement leader and former militia leader Moqtada al-Sadr, who won more than 70 seats out of 329 in parliament.

The final election results are expected to be announced in the next few weeks.