Iraqi Prime Minister survives assassination attempt
Al-Kadhimi went on to Twitter moments after the attack and called for “calm and restraint from everyone.” “Thank God, I am fine and among my people,” he tweeted on his official account.He called the missile and drone attacks cowardly, saying that they work against a better future for the country. Al-Kadhimi called for calm and constructive dialogue “for the sake of Iraq and the future of Iraq.””I was and still am a redemption project for Iraq and the people of Iraq. The missiles of treachery will not discourage the believers and will shake a hair of the stability and determination of our heroic security forces to preserve people’s security, achieve justice and set the law in place,” he said.Three drones were involved in the assassination attempt, according to Ministry of Interior Spokesman General Saad Maan, speaking to the state-run Al-Iraqiya news network. Security forces were able to down two of the drones, Maan said.The Iraqi military said that Al-Kadhimi was unharmed and in good health, and that security forces were “taking the necessary measures in connection with this failed attempt.”A source close to the Iraqi leader said Sunday that Al-Kadhimi was returning from overseeing security forces engaged in a stand-off with protesters at the southern gate of the Green Zone, the heavily fortified area of Baghdad where the the Prime Minister’s residence and other government and diplomatic buildings are located, around the time of the drone attack.As he was just entering his residence, a booby-trapped drone targeted that location, wounding a few of his residence guards and causing minor damage, the source said.The US State Department condemned the “apparent act of terrorism” in a statement on Sunday. “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,” spokesperson Ned Price said.The President of the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG), the semi-autonomous region in northern Iraq, also released a statement condemning the failed assassination attempt, calling it a “terrorist act” that marks a “dangerous development that threatens security and stability in the country and portends dire consequences.””I invite everyone to exercise restraint and calm down,” KRG President Nechirvan Barani in a statement early Sunday.The influential Shia Muslim cleric and head of the powerful Sadrist Movement Parties representing Iran-backed militias called for protests after losing parliament seats during Iraq’s elections last month, angering militia leaders and sparking several protests and sit-ins over the past weeks. Kata’ib Hezbollah, one of the most powerful Iranian-backed Shia militia groups in Iraq, denied any involvement in the assassination attempt on the prime minister on Sunday, while also questioning the government’s take on the attack in a statement released by spokesman Abu Ali al-Askari.Al-Askari said that Al-Kadhimi is “playing the victim,” adding there are “less expensive” and more guaranteed ways to cause harm to the prime minister — if that were the goal.”Isn’t it ironic that he calls for restraint and calm, so who should be worried? Who has lost control of himself?” al-Askari said in a statement on Sunday.In a no-holds bar jab at the Prime Minister, al-Askari added: “May God curse you and those who help you.”Meanwhile, the Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani condemned the assassination attempt, saying in a tweet on Sunday that the incident must be “traced back to foreign think tanks (or agencies)” that have “brought nothing but insecurity, discord, and instability to the oppressed Iraqi people through the creation and support of terrorist groups and occupation of this country for years.” CNN’s Jomana Karadsheh, Mayumi Maruyama and Ramin Mostaghim contributed reporting.
