Ahmed Rasheed, John Davison

BAGHDAD (Reuters – Iraqi Prime minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi escaped unscathed in an attack by an armed drone at Baghdad. The incident, which occurred on Sunday, dramatically raised tensions within the country just weeks following a general election that was disputed by Iran-backed militias.

Kadhimi was seen in video footage that his office published on Sunday, chairing a meeting of top security officers to discuss the drone strike.

“The cowardly terrorist attack that targeted the home of the prime minister last night with the aim of assassinating him, is a serious targeting of the Iraqi state by criminal armed groups,” the premier’s office said in a statement issued following the meeting.

Security sources said that six personnel protection officers stationed near Kadhimi’s Green Zone home were hurt.

According to a spokesperson for the interior ministry, three drones were involved in the attack. Two of them were downed by security forces and intercepted.

The commander in chief of the Armed forces stated that the security situation inside the Green Zone, which contains the residence, government buildings, and foreign embassies was stable after the attack.

None of the groups immediately claimed responsibility.

This attack occurred two days following violent clashes between Baghdad government forces and Iran-backed political party supporters. Many of those parties have armed wings since the groups lost hundreds of parliament seats after an Oct. 10 general election.

Kadhimi directed an investigation to determine the causes of death and injury suffered by protestors and security officers in these clashes.

Barham Salih President condemned the terrorist attack on Iraq. In a tweet, he stated that “We cannot accept the fact that Iraq will be dragged to chaos and a coup against their constitutional system.”

Moqtada al-Sadr (a Shi’ite Muslim cleric) called the attack terrorist because it targeted Iraq’s stability. He said that the attackers wanted to return Iraq to chaos and allow non-state forces to control it.

Saudi Arabia, Iran and America condemned the attack.

DAMAGE TO YOUR RESIDENCE

Images released by INA show damage to parts of Prime Minister’s Residence and a damaged SUV vehicle parked inside the Garage.

According to Reuters, security personnel have retrieved small-sized explosive-laden drone remains for investigation.

“It’s too early to tell who did the attack,” said the security guard on condition that he remain anonymous as he is not permitted to speak on security details.

We are currently reviewing our intelligence reports, and we’re waiting to see the initial investigative results that will point fingers at perpetrators.

According to the Iraqi military, Kadhimi had been attacked in his home and was in good health. The statement did not provide any further details.

Two officials from the government claimed that Kadhimi’s home had at most one explosion.

Western diplomats who were stationed nearby in Green Zone claimed that they heard gunfire and explosions in the region.

U.S. CONDEMNATION

The United States provided assistance in the investigation.

Ned Price, spokesperson at U.S. State Department said that the apparent terrorist act, which was strongly condemned, was targeted at the heart and soul of the Iraqi government.

Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry claimed the terrorist attack was cowardly committed, Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya TV reports.

Ali Shamkhani, Iran’s most senior security official, has condemned the attack calling it “a new kind of sedition”.

These militias are heavily armed and supported by Iran. They lost a lot of their power as parliamentary representatives in the election. These protestors claim that there were irregularities in the vote count and voting process, which was rejected by country’s election officials.

On Friday, protesters attacked police near the Green Zone with rocks. This led to several injuries for officers.

According to sources from Baghdad security and hospitals, at least one protestor was killed by police tear gas or live fire.

Independent analysts believe the election results reflect anger toward Iran-backed militia groups that are frequently accused of the murder of more than 600 protestors during separate anti-government demonstrations in 2019.