At least one Iran-backed militia launched a drone strike targeting Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi early on Sunday, according to a Monday report.
Citing Iraqi security officials and sources close to the militias, the Reuters news agency reported that the drones and weapons used to target al-Kadhimi were made in Iran.
Al-Kadhimi suffered a minor cut and appeared in a televised speech shortly after the attack at his residence, wearing a white shirt and what appeared to be a bandage around his left wrist. At least seven of his security guards were injured in the attack by two armed drones.
Amid allegations of Iranian involvement in an apparent assassination attempt, a top Iranian general visited Baghdad and said Tehran and its allies had nothing to do with the drone strike, two Iraqi politicians said on Monday.
Two Shia Muslim politicians requested anonymity because Ismail Ghani’s visit had not been publicly announced. He quoted the Iranian general as saying that Tehran was not opposed to any politician nominated by the Shia bloc in the newly elected parliament to become the next prime minister.
Ghani is the commander of Iran’s Quds Force, which is primarily responsible for military and covert operations outside the country.
Iraqi security forces close the heavily fortified Green Zone, tightening security measures following the assassination attempt on Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi on November 7, 2021 in Baghdad, Iraq. (AP photo/Hadi Mizban)
Iran has a massive influence in Iraq through powerful fighters supported over the years. Both Iran and Iraq have majority Shia populations.
Two Iraqi politicians quoted Ghani as saying: “Iran has nothing to do with this attack.”
One of the two officials said Ghani met with al-Kadhimi in Baghdad on Sunday afternoon.
Lebanon’s al-Manar TV, which is run by the Iran-backed Hezbollah group, said Ghani also met with Iraqi President Barham Salih and other political figures in the country.
It quoted Ghani during his visit as saying that “Iraq has an urgent need to calm down.” It added that Ghani also said that any act that threatens Iraq’s security should be avoided.
The drone strike was a dramatic escalation in an already tense situation following the October 10 election and a surprising result in which Iran-backed militias lost two-thirds of their seats.
Despite the low turnout, the results confirmed a growing wave of discontent against the militias, which had been hailed years earlier as heroes for fighting Islamic State militants.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi speaks during a joint news conference with the French President at the Prime Minister’s Office in the Iraqi capital Baghdad on August 28, 2021. (Eliot Blondet/Pools/AFP)
But the militias have lost popularity since 2018, when they made huge electoral gains. Many Iraqis blame him for suppressing the 2019 youth-led anti-government protests and undermining the authority of the state.
Some analysts have said Sunday’s attack was aimed at cutting off a path that could lead to a second term for al-Kadhimi by those who lost recent elections.
On Sunday, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh condemned the assassination attempt on al-Kadhimi and indirectly blamed the US.
Al-Kadhimi, 54, was Iraq’s former intelligence chief before becoming prime minister in May last year. He is considered close to the US by militias, and has tried to strike a balance between Iraq’s alliances with both the US and Iran.
