Iran points fingers at "foreign" parties in the aftermath of al-Kadhimi's assassination attempt
Shafaq News/ The Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, Ali Shamkhani, denounced the Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi's assassination attempt as "a sedition" incited by "foreign" parties.
Shamkhani tweeted earlier today, Sunday, "The attempt for Al-Kadhimi's terror is a new sedition that must be traced back to foreign think tanks, which have brought nothing but insecurity, discord & instability to oppressed Iraqi people through creation & support of terrorist groups & occupation of this country for years."
A drone laden with explosives targeted Al-Kadhimi's residence inside the Green Zone, downtown the Iraqi capital Baghdad, early on Sunday in what the Iraqi military deemed an attempted assassination, but said al-Kadhimi escaped unhurt.
The attack, which security sources said injured several members of al-Kadhimi’s personal protection team, came after protests in the Iraqi capital over the result of a general election last month turned violent.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack on al-Kadhimi’s residence in Baghdad’s fortified Green Zone, which houses government buildings and foreign embassies.
The United States Department of State condemned the attack and offered assistance with the investigation.
“This apparent act of terrorism, which we strongly condemn, was directed at the heart of the Iraqi state,” spokesman Ned Price said in a statement. “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.”
The leader of the Sadrist Movement, Muqtada al-Sadr, and the President of the Kurdistan Region, Nechirvan Barzani, both denounced the attack as “terrorism.”
Al-Sadr said the security forces need to take charge. Barzani said the attack “portends dire consequences” and called for calm.
Supporters of Iran-aligned militia groups which have grown their power in parliament and government in recent years have protested the results of the October election.
Demonstrations by their supporters turned violent on Friday when protestors pelted police with stones near the Green Zone, injuring several officers.
The police responded with tear gas and live gunfire, killing at least one demonstrator, according to security and hospital sources in Baghdad.
Independent analysts say the election results were a reflection of anger towards the Iran-backed armed groups, which are widely accused of involvement in the killing of nearly 600 protesters who took the street in separate, anti-government demonstrations in 2019.
