Prime Minister of Iraq was attacked using an Iranian drone

Baghdad – Recently, Iraq PM Mustafa al-Kadhimi’s residence was under drone attack. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack yet. Iraqi security officials have informed that the drone used in the attack was made in Iran. Therefore, it seems that an Iran affiliated terrorist organisation had planned a deadly attack on Prime Minister Kadhimi.

On Sunday morning, three drones struck the Prime Minister’s residence in Baghdad. Iraqi security officials have confirmed to have shot down two drones. However, the third one which hit the residence caused minor injuries to Prime Minister Kadhimi and severely injured seven of his bodyguards.

Prime Minister Kadhimi, while addressing the people, has appealed for peace. Kadhimi blamed the drone strike was carried out by the same group that assassinated Nibras Farman, a senior member of Iraq’s national intelligence service. The Iraqi Prime Minister did not explicitly mention but hinted at Iran-linked terrorist groups based in Iran and Iraq for the attack.

The Popular Mobilization Unit-PMU in Iraq or Kataib Hezbollah, an Iranian-linked terrorist group, is suspected to be behind the drone strikes on Prime Minister Kadhimi and Nibras Farman. The two groups have used drones to carry out attacks in Iraq and Syria in the past. However, both organisations have denied the allegations.

On Monday, Iraqi security officials and sources have revealed information related to the attack on a condition to remain anonymous. The officials told an international agency that the drones and explosives used in the prime minister’s residence were made in Iran. Iraqi officials suspect that either the PMU, Kataib or Asaib Ahl al-Haq, an Iranian-linked group, may have planned the drone strike.

Leaders around the world have condemned the attack on Prime Minister Kadhimi. The heads of state of India, the United Kingdom, France, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Egypt called Prime Minister Kadhimi to condemn the attack. The US Secretary of State had a telephone conversation with the Iraqi Prime Minister after the attack.

Muqtada al-Sadr, who won the elections in Iraq, also called the attack a terrorist attack. Iran’s foreign ministry also condemned the attack. It is being claimed that Major General Ismail Ghani, the head of Iran’s Quds Force, visited the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, on Sunday. The information about the visit is made official yet. However, some pieces of details were leaked by Iranian media.

Recently a bomb blast near the northern city of Kirkuk killed two and injured three PMU militants. Details of the explosion are not released. The situation in Iraq has become tense due to last month’s election protests and Sunday’s drone strikes.

Conflicts between pro-Iranian and anti-Iranian groups are flaring up in Iraq. Attacks on Iraqi leaders and the Iraqi government’s crackdown on pro-Iranian protesters being part of the conflict. This has once again led to growing instability in Iraq, which seems to have created a background for an intense internal conflict.