Escalation continues in the crisis in Iraq. According to his office, Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kazimi escaped unscathed from a “failed assassination attempt” on the night from Saturday to Sunday using a “trapped drone” which targeted his residence in Baghdad.
This attack is the first to target the residence of Moustafa al-Kazimi, in power since May 2020. The United States immediately condemned an “apparent act of terrorism” against “the heart of the Iraqi state”.
Tensions around the legislative elections of October 10
The facts arose above all at a time when the parties were negotiating to form parliamentary coalitions on the basis of the preliminary results of the October 10 election. The Conquest Alliance, the political showcase of Hachd al-Chaabi, an influential coalition of former pro-Iran paramilitaries, saw its number of seats melt at the end of the vote and denounce an electoral “fraud”. Some supporters of Hachd accuse the Prime Minister of being “an accomplice” in this “swindle”.
The attack was not immediately claimed and it was not known whether it resulted in injuries, as well as the extent of the property damage. “I am fine, thank God, and I call for calm and restraint on the part of all for the good of Iraq,” the Prime Minister wrote on Twitter.
A rocket or a drone
Two security sources on the other hand affirmed that a “rocket”, rather than a trapped drone, had fallen on the house of Moustafa al-Kazimi in the green zone, ultra-protected perimeter located in the heart of the Iraqi capital. which houses the US Embassy and government buildings. After the attack, security forces were deployed in large numbers inside and around the green zone, according to a security source.