Baghdad
Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi says the perpetrators of Sunday’s failed assassination attempt at his home in Baghdad have been identified.
Six of Mr Kadhimi’s guards were wounded in the attack by armed drones, which also damaged the building.
“We will pursue those who committed the crime. We know them well,” he told a cabinet meeting, without elaborating. No group has claimed it was behind the attack, but suspicion has fallen on Iran-backed Shia Muslim militias.
Security sources told Reuters news agency that the attack was carried out by at least one militia, saying the drone and explosives were Iranian-made.
The incident came amid escalating tensions following last month’s parliamentary election, in which the Fatah alliance of parties linked to the militias lost two-thirds of its seats.
They have refused to accept the results and one person was killed on Friday when their supporters clashed with security forces while attempting to enter Baghdad’s fortified Green Zone, where the prime minister’s residence, government offices and foreign embassies are located.
Sunday’s attack involved three drones, the interior ministry said. Two were shot down by security forces, but the third reached Mr Kadhimi’s home.
Video footage showed damage to the building’s exterior and interior, as well as to a vehicle parked outside. Unexploded shells were also found on the roof.
Video footage released by the prime minister’s office showed unexploded shells from the drone
Mr Kadhimi said he escaped unhurt, although he appeared to have a bandage around his left wrist in a video posted online hours afterwards.
The prime minister told his cabinet later that the attack was a “cowardly act” that did “not express the will of Iraqis”.
The 54-year-old former intelligence chief said his government had prevented Iraq from “slipping into a regional war” since it was formed in the wake of mass protests over endemic corruption, high unemployment and dire public services in late 2019, during which hundreds of demonstrators were killed by security forces and gunmen suspected of links to the Shia militias.
“We maintained security in the country, but some are still trying to tamper with Iraq’s security and want it to be a gang state,” Mr Kadhimi warned.
He noted that the government had met the protesters’ demand to hold an early election, and that the results were not its responsibility.
Mustafa al-Kadhimi (R) appeared to have a bandaged left wrist at meetings after the attack.—Agencies
