Iraqi PM safe after drone attack on residence

BAGHDAD－Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi was unharmed in an assassination attempt targeting his official residence on Sunday, according to the Iraqi military.

The media office of the Iraqi Joint Operations Command said an unknown drone bomb hit al-Kadhimi's residency at dawn in the heavily fortified Green Zone in the center of the capital, but he escaped unhurt.

"The prime minister did not suffer any harm, and he is in good health," said the media office.

Iraqi security forces were taking all necessary measures relating to the assassination attempt, said the statement without giving further details.

Al-Kadhimi confirmed in a video posted on his official Twitter page that he and other workers at his residence are safe, stressing that "cowardly missiles and cowardly drones do not build a homeland or a future (for the country), and we are working to build our homeland by respecting the state and its institutions and creating a better future for all Iraqis".

"I call on all parties to resort to calm dialogue to build Iraq and its future," al-Kadhimi said in his speech, which was also aired by the official Iraqiya channel.

The attempted assassination followed protests against the results of elections last month. Friday's protests turned into a clash later with security forces outside the Green Zone, which houses some of the main government offices and foreign embassies.

The clash left two protesters dead and dozens of protesters and security members injured.

In parliamentary elections held on Oct 10, the Sadrist Movement led by prominent Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr won more than 70 seats, while the al-Fatah coalition won 17 seats compared with 47 in the elections in 2018.

Political parties dissatisfied with the results said the elections were manipulated and that they would not accept the "fabricated results".

No group has yet claimed responsibility for Sunday's attack, according to a security source.

Ali Shamkhani, Iran's top security official, condemned the attack, calling it "a new sedition".

The United States also condemned the drone attack on al-Kadhimi, which it called an "apparent act of terrorism".

"This apparent act of terrorism, which we strongly condemn, was directed at the heart of the Iraqi state," said US State Department spokesman Ned Price.

Saudi Arabia's Foreign Ministry said the kingdom condemns the attack, calling it a "cowardly terrorist act", al-Arabiya TV reported.

Xinhua - Agencies