Iraqi prime minister survives assassination bid with drones

BAGHDAD — Iraq’s Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi survived an assassination effort with equipped drones that targeted his residence aboriginal Sunday and officials said helium was unharmed. The onslaught was a large escalation amid tensions sparked by the refusal of Iran-backed militias to judge past month’s parliamentary predetermination results.

Two Iraqi officials told The Associated Press that 7 of al-Kadhimi’s information guards were injured successful the onslaught with 2 equipped drones which occurred successful Baghdad’s heavy fortified Green Zone area. They spoke connected information of anonymity due to the fact that they were not authorized to springiness authoritative statements.

“I americium good and among my people. Thank God,” the premier curate tweeted soon aft the attack. He called for calm and restraint, “for the involvement of Iraq.”

He aboriginal appeared connected Iraqi television, seated down a table successful a achromatic shirt, looking calm and composed. “Cowardly rocket and drone attacks don’t physique homelands and don’t physique a future,” helium said.

In a statement, the authorities said an explosives-laden drone tried to deed al-Kadhimi’s home. Residents of Baghdad heard the dependable of an detonation followed by dense gunfire from the absorption of the Green Zone, which houses overseas embassies and authorities offices.

The connection released by state-run media said information forces were “taking the indispensable measures successful transportation with this failed attempt.”

“The assassination effort is simply a melodramatic escalation, crossing a enactment successful unprecedented manner that whitethorn person convulsive reverberations,” wrote Ranj Alaaldin, a nonresident chap astatine the Brookings Institution, successful a station connected Twitter.

Protests turned deadly Friday erstwhile the demonstrators tried to participate the Green Zone. Security forces utilized teardrop state and unrecorded ammunition. There was an speech of occurrence successful which 1 protester affiliated with the militias was killed. Dozens of information forces were injured. Al-Khadimi ordered an probe to find what sparked the clashes and who violated orders not to unfastened fire.

Some of the leaders of the astir almighty militia factions loyal to Iran openly blamed al-Kadhimi for Friday’s clashes and the protester’s death.

“The humor of martyrs is to clasp you accountable,” said Qais al-Khazali, person of the Asaib Ahl al-Haq militia, addressing al-Kadhimi astatine a ceremonial held for the protester Saturday. “The protesters lone had 1 request against fraud successful elections. Responding similar this (with unrecorded fire) means you are the archetypal liable for this fraud.”

The ceremonial was attended by leaders of the mostly Shiite Iran-backed factions who unneurotic are known arsenic the Popular Mobilization Forces, oregon Hashd al-Shaabi successful Arabic.

Abu Alaa al-Walae, commandant of Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada, successful a tweet seemingly addressed to al-Kadhimi that did not sanction him told him to hide astir different term.

Al-Kadhimi, 54, was Iraq’s erstwhile quality main earlier becoming premier curate successful May past year. He is considered by the militias to beryllium adjacent to the U.S., and has tried to equilibrium betwixt Iraq’s alliances with some the U.S. and Iran. Prior to the elections, helium hosted respective rounds of talks betwixt determination foes Iran and Saudi Arabia successful Baghdad successful a bid to easiness determination tensions.

Ali Shamkhani, caput of Iran’s nationalist information council, said indirectly successful a tweet Sunday that the United States was down the attack.

The battle connected al-Kadhimi “is a caller sedition that indispensable beryllium traced backmost to overseas deliberation tanks, which person brought thing but insecurity, discord & instability to oppressed Iraqi radical done instauration & enactment of violent groups & concern of this state for years,” helium said.

The U.S. powerfully denounced the attack.

“This evident enactment of terrorism, which we powerfully condemn, was directed astatine the bosom of the Iraqi state,” said State Department spokesperson Ned Price.

“We are successful adjacent interaction with the Iraqi information forces charged with upholding Iraq’s sovereignty and independency and person offered our assistance arsenic they analyse this attack,” helium added.

Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi besides condemned the assassination attempt. Writing connected Facebook, helium called connected each sides successful Iraq to “calm down, renounce unit and articulation forces to sphere the country’s stability.”

Anwar Gargash, a salient diplomat from the United Arab Emirates, wrote connected Twitter thanking God that al-Kadhimi survived the assassination attempt. “May God support Iraq and its radical from each harm and whitethorn they unrecorded free, arrogant and independent,” helium wrote.

The United States, the U.N. Security Council and others person praised the Oct. 10 election, which was mostly violence-free and without large method glitches.

But pursuing the vote, militia supporters pitched tents adjacent the Green Zone, rejecting the predetermination results and threatening unit unless their demands for a recount were met.

The unsubstantiated claims of elector fraud person formed a shadiness implicit the vote. The standoff with the militia supporters has besides accrued tensions among rival Shiite factions that could spill into unit and endanger Iraq’s newfound comparative stability.

The predetermination was held months up of docket successful effect to wide protests successful precocious 2019, which saw tens of thousands successful Baghdad and predominantly Shiite confederate provinces rally against endemic corruption, mediocre services and unemployment. They besides protested against the heavy-handed interference of neighboring Iran successful Iraq’s affairs done Iran-backed militias.

The militias mislaid immoderate popularity since the 2018 vote, erstwhile they made large predetermination gains. Many clasp them liable for suppressing the 2019 protests, and for challenging the state’s authority.

The biggest gains were made by influential Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, who won the largest fig of parliament seats, 73 retired of 329. While helium maintains bully relations with Iran, al-Sadr publically opposes outer interference successful Iraq’s affairs.

Associated Press writers Jon Gambrell successful Dubai, United Arab Emirates and Samy Magdy successful Cairo contributed.