Two of the three drones were shot down in flight. The third exploded into the house and injured two of the prime minister’s bodyguards. Attack has not been claimed so far.

The Iraqi prime minister escaped unharmed on Sunday from an attack on his home in central Baghdad with “three drones, two of which were shot down” by Mustafa al-Khadhimi’s security detail, two security sources said.

The Security Information Cell, quoted by the official Iraqi news agency INA, began by stating that there had been “a failed attempt to assassinate the prime minister, the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, by an explosive drone launched at his residence in the Green Zone in Baghdad”. Al-Khadhimi ​ “was not injured and is in good health,” he added.

The three drones “were launched from a location near the Ponte da República” on the east bank of the Tigre River, before heading to the Green Zone on the west bank, where the prime minister’s residence is located, said one of the sources.

“Two drones were shot down” in flight, according to an official, who asked not to be identified, adding that the third exploded into the house, injuring two of the prime minister’s bodyguards. So far the attack has not been claimed.

The prime minister himself confirmed on his Twitter account that he is fine and called on the population to remain calm in the face of the assassination attempt.

“I am well, I praise God among my people, and I ask everyone for calm and moderation for the good of Iraq,” he wrote.

The United States has already reacted to the attack, through State Department spokesman Ned Price: “We are relieved to know that the prime minister is not injured. This apparent act of terrorism, which we vehemently condemn, was aimed at the heart of the Iraqi state,” he said in a statement.

The Green Zone, where the prime minister’s residence was attacked earlier this morning, is a fortified area in the center of Baghdad, which is also home to a number of government buildings and foreign embassies.

This attack comes at a time of tension in Iraq, after violent clashes between protesters and police during a protest last Friday in Baghdad, in front of the Green Zone itself, against the results of the legislative elections of 10 October.

The clashes caused two deaths and more than a hundred injured, many of them police officers.

Several Iraqi parties consider the official election results to be fraudulent, especially those representing the militias that make up the Popular Crowd, mostly Shiites and pro-Iranians, as they suffered a large loss of votes compared to the 2018 elections.

Its supporters have maintained a protest camp in front of the Green Zone for nearly two weeks.

In addition, the area has been the target of a series of rocket attacks over the past two years, mainly targeting the US embassy, ​​following the assassination of powerful Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani in January 2020, who was killed in a northern bombing. American in Baghdad.

Source: with agencies