Attack on Iraqi Prime Minister: “Cowardly drone attacks do not help”

Iraq’s Prime Minister al-Kadhimi has been the target of a drone attack. He himself remained unharmed by the attack and called it “cowardly”. It is still unclear who is behind the attack.

Videos from the Iraqi capital Baghdad, from the green zone, the safe area of ​​the city, show empty streets, armored vehicles of the military on every street corner, soldiers in black on the side of the road. Baghdad has been on alert since the attack last night.

The Iraqi government announced that a drone loaded with explosives had attacked the residence of Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi. Two more drones could therefore be intercepted. The prime minister was unharmed. Arab TV stations show a video showing the damage to al-Kadhimi’s official residence. Several of the prime minister’s bodyguards are said to have been injured in the attack.

Mastermind so far unclear

Al-Khadimi said on the Saudi TV channel Al-Haddath that he was fine:

I and everyone with me are safe and in good shape. Our security forces and the military are working to stabilize and protect Iraq. Cowardly drone attacks do not help build our homeland and secure our future. I invite everyone to take part in the future dialogue. Long live Iraq.

It is still unclear who is behind the drone attack. Nobody confessed to the attack. Since the parliamentary elections in Iraq four weeks ago, however, there have been repeated protests and serious clashes in Baghdad. More than 100 people were injured only on Friday. The unsuccessful pro-Iranian politicians and their supporters had lost two thirds of the parliamentary seats, but did not want to acknowledge the defeat. The election winner, the Shiite Moktada Al Sadr, described the act on Twitter as an attack on the entire country.

“The premier’s reputation increases after the attack”

Najim Al Kassab, Iraqi political expert based in Baghdad, said: “There are mutual accusations, there is mistrust on all sides. But it looks like the prime minister’s reputation is growing after this attack.”

Based on the trajectory of the drones, the analyst said, it should be possible to determine where and from whom they came: “The drones were almost certainly not launched far outside of Baghdad, especially not in any other country. Perhaps they came from rural suburbs of Baghdad. The investigation will help us not only in terms of flight path, but also where these drones were produced and what explosives they were loaded with. “

Egypt’s President Abdel Fatah Al-Sisi called for Iraq’s stability to be preserved. The US condemned the attack as an act of terrorism.