Iraqi Prime Minister (PM) Mustafa al-Kadhimi survived an assassination attempt on Sunday after explosive-laden drones targeted his residence in Baghdad. While no organisation claimed responsibility for the attack, pro-Iranian groups are suspected.
The Iraqi military said Kadhimi escaped unharmed and is safe. However, it noted that seven members of Kadhimi’s personal protection force stationed outside his residence in the Green Zone were wounded.
An army spokesman said the situation was stable inside the Green Zone, which houses government buildings and foreign embassies. The spokesman mentioned that additional security precautions were taken following the attack.
The Iraqi Interior Ministry initially stated that three drones were involved in the attack on the PM’s office. However, the Ministry later clarified that only two drones were used to target Kadhimi’s residence.
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The Ministry noted that one of the drones carried two rockets, of which one exploded on impact. According to images released by the Iraqi security forces, the explosion blew off doors and damaged a staircase on the outside of the building. Images also showed unexploded munitions on the compound that were later safely detonated by security forces.
Immediately after the attack, Kadhimi took to Twitter to say that he was fine and called for “calm and restraint” from everyone. He placed full confidence in the country’s security forces and said they would “preserve the security of the people [and] set the law in place.”
Later on Sunday, Kadhimi held an extraordinary session of the Council of Ministers and vowed to “pursue” and “expose” those who committed the crime. Calling the attack a “cowardly act,” he said during the meeting that it was against the will of the people. He added that attempts to “tamper Iraq’s security” and turn the country into a “gang state” will not be successful.
The attack came two days after violent clashes in Baghdad between government forces and Iran-backed groups over the parliament election results. On Friday, one protestor was killed and more than 100 were injured in the clashes. Pro-Iranian parties lost heavily in last month’s parliamentary election and have rejected the results, calling it “fabricated.” A joint statement by the pro-Iranian parties in October said they would “take all available measures” against the results.
These statements, along with the fact that many of the parties have armed groups, which have carried out drone attacks against American military bases in the country, have raised suspicions that they might be involved in the failed assassination attempt.
However, a security official from one of the Iran-backed groups, Kataib Hezbollah, said that suggestions that pro-Iranian groups were behind the attack on Kadhimi were not true. “According to our confirmed information, no one in Iraq has the desire to waste a drone on the house of a former prime minister,” a spokesman for the group said on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Iran denounced the attack on Iraq’s PM. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh called for “vigilance” by all sides against incidents targeting Iraq’s security. He said that only unity between the Iraqi people and the government could “pave the way for the development and prosperity” of Iraq.
The United States (US) called the attack an “act of terrorism […] directed at the heart of the Iraqi state.” US State Department Spokesperson Ned Price said Washington is in “close touch with the Iraqi security forces” and has “offered […] assistance” regarding the investigation. Furthermore, Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Kadhimi on Sunday to reiterate the US’ support for Iraq.
The failed assassination attempt on Kadhimi was also condemned by the international community, including the United Nations, the European Union, the Gulf Cooperation Council, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, India, and Turkey.