Iraq’s PM al-Kadhimi survives attempted drone assassination unscathed

Baghdad, Nov 7 (EFE).- Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi was unharmed after an assassination attempt with a drone attack on his residence, the country’s security media cell reported Sunday, amid growing tensions around last month’s parliamentary election results.

The explosive-laden drone targeted al-Kadhimi’s residence in the Green Zone in the central part of the capital Baghdad, the military-linked body said, according to the Iraqi state news agency INA.

Al-Kadhimi “suffered no harm and he is in good health,” the media center added.

The premier, afterward, wrote on Twitter that he was fine and called for calm and restraint.

“I am fine, thank God among my people. I call for calm and self-restraint from all for the sake of Iraq,” he said.

So far, there has been no claim of responsibility for the attack.

The United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) condemned the attempted assassination.

“Terrorism, violence and unlawful acts must not be allowed to undermine Iraq’s stability and derail its democratic process,” a statement posted on Twitter said.

The assassination attempt comes as people have been taking to the streets to protest the results of the October 10 parliamentary elections, resulting in clashes between protesters and security forces. Two people have been killed and over 100 wounded so far.

The results of the votes showed that pro-Iranian parties made significant losses, compared to the seats they gained in 2018, while the bloc led by Iraq’s powerful Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr emerged as the biggest winner with 73 seats in the 329-strong parliament.