University professor survives assassination attempt in Nasiriyah

Shafaq News/ A university professor in the southern Iraqi governorate of Dhi Qar survived an assassination attempt on Sunday, a source reported.

The source told Shafaq News Agency that unknown gunmen attacked the vehicle of Muqaddam al-Majid, a professor at the Faculty of Media at the Dhi Qar University, near the express bridge in the city of Nasiriyah, the governorate's capital. However, al-Majid managed to escape unharmed.

The source added that the attackers fired two shots at al-Majid's car before heading towards an unknown destination.

The Iraqi Journalists' Union in Dhi Qar condemned the incident in a statement, calling on the security and judicial authorities to identify and apprehend the perpetrators and provide security protection for al-Majid.

In February 2022, two Iraqi university professors were gunned down in Erbil, the capital of The semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region. The perpetrator was a disgruntled former student.

Shootings as a means of settling scores are far from rare in Iraq – its legacy of war and sectarian conflict mean the country's 40 million people count some 7.6 million firearms, according to figures from the Small Arms Survey.