Tidbits From TNT "Kadhimi's Assasination Attempt Last Night" 11-7-2021
TNT:
Shybaby: Iraqi Prime Minister Survives Assassination Bid With Drones
Iraq's Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi survived an assassination attempt with armed drones that targeted his residence early Sunday and officials said he was unharmed.
The attack was a major escalation amid tensions sparked by the refusal of Iran-backed militias to accept last month's parliamentary election results.
Two Iraqi officials told The Associated Press that seven of al-Kadhimi's security guards were injured in the attack with two armed drones which occurred in Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone area. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to give official statements.
"I am fine and among my people. Thank God," the prime minister tweeted shortly after the attack. He called for calm and restraint, “for the sake of Iraq.”
He later appeared on Iraqi television, seated behind a desk in a white shirt, looking calm and composed. “Cowardly rocket and drone attacks don’t build homelands and don’t build a future,” he said.
In a statement, the government said an explosives-laden drone tried to hit al-Kadhimi’s home. Residents of Baghdad heard the sound of an explosion followed by heavy gunfire from the direction of the Green Zone, which houses foreign embassies and government offices.
The statement released by state-run media said security forces were “taking the necessary measures in connection with this failed attempt.”
There was no immediate claim for the attack. It comes amid a stand-off between security forces and pro-Iran Shiite militias whose supporters have been camped outside the Green Zone for nearly a month after they rejected the results of Iraq’s parliamentary elections in which they lost around two-thirds of their seats.
“The assassination attempt is a dramatic escalation, crossing a line in unprecedented fashion that may have violent reverberations,” wrote Ranj Alaaldin, a nonresident fellow at the Brookings Institution, in a post on Twitter.
Protests turned deadly Friday when the demonstrators tried to enter the Green Zone. Security forces used tear gas and live ammunition. There was an exchange of fire in which one protester affiliated with the militias was killed. Dozens of security forces were injured. Al-Khadimi ordered an investigation to determine what sparked the clashes and who violated orders not to open fire.
Some of the leaders of the most powerful militia factions loyal to Iran openly blamed al-Kadhimi for Friday's clashes and the protester's death.
“The blood of martyrs is to hold you accountable,” said Qais al-Khazali, leader of the Asaib Ahl al-Haq militia, addressing al-Kadhimi at a funeral held for the protester Saturday. “The protesters only had one demand against fraud in elections. Responding like this (with live fire) means you are the first responsible for this fraud.”
The funeral was attended by leaders of the mostly Shiite Iran-backed factions who together are known as the Popular Mobilization Forces, or Hashd al-Shaabi in Arabic.
Abu Alaa al-Walae, commander of Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada, in a tweet apparently addressed to al-Kadhimi that did not name him told him to forget about another term.
Al-Kadhimi, 54, was Iraq's former intelligence chief before becoming prime minister in May last year. He is considered by the militias to be close to the U.S., and has tried to balance between Iraq's alliances with both the U.S. and Iran. Prior to the elections, he hosted several rounds of talks between regional foes Iran and Saudi Arabia in Baghdad in a bid to ease regional tensions.
Ali Shamkhani, secretary of Iran’s national security council, said indirectly in a tweet Sunday that the United States was behind the attack.
The assault on al-Kadhimi "is a new sedition that must be traced back to foreign think tanks, which have brought nothing but insecurity, discord & instability to oppressed Iraqi people through creation & support of terrorist groups & occupation of this country for years,” he said.
The U.S. strongly denounced the attack.
“This apparent act of terrorism, which we strongly condemn, was directed at the heart of the Iraqi state,” said State Department spokesperson Ned Price.
“We are in close touch with the Iraqi security forces charged with upholding Iraq’s sovereignty and independence and have offered our assistance as they investigate this attack,” he added.
Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi also condemned the assassination attempt. Writing on Facebook, he called on all sides in Iraq to “calm down, renounce violence and join forces to preserve the country’s stability.”
Saudi Arabia issued a statement of support for stability in Iraq and said it strongly condemned the “cowardly terrorist attack that targeted Iraq’s prime minister."
The United States, the U.N. Security Council and others have praised the Oct. 10 election, which was mostly violence-free and without major technical glitches.
But following the vote, militia supporters pitched tents near the Green Zone, rejecting the election results and threatening violence unless their demands for a recount were met.
The unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud have cast a shadow over the vote. The standoff with the militia supporters has also increased tensions among rival Shiite factions that could spill into violence and threaten Iraq’s newfound relative stability.
The election was held months ahead of schedule in response to mass protests in late 2019, which saw tens of thousands in Baghdad and predominantly Shiite southern provinces rally against endemic corruption, poor services and unemployment. They also protested against the heavy-handed interference of neighboring Iran in Iraq’s affairs through Iran-backed militias.
The militias lost some popularity since the 2018 vote, when they made big election gains. Many hold them responsible for suppressing the 2019 protests, and for challenging the state’s authority.
The biggest gains were made by influential Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, who won the largest number of parliament seats, 73 out of 329. While he maintains good relations with Iran, al-Sadr publicly opposes external interference in Iraq’s affairs
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Tishwash: Groups and people from all over the country and the world are making similar calls and statements too many to post.
Britain condemns the attempt to assassinate Al-Kazemi
Today, Sunday, the British Foreign Office condemned the attempt to assassinate Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi, while calling for calm and restraint.
British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said in a tweet on Twitter: "We condemn the attack on Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi in Baghdad last night," noting, "We are relieved that the Prime Minister is fine and in good health, but our thoughts are with the injured as a result of this incident."
"We stand with the Iraqi government, security forces and the Iraqi people in their rejection of political violence, and we strongly support the Prime Minister's call for calm and restraint," she added. link
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Tishwash: The European Union strongly condemns the attempt to assassinate Al-Kazemi
The European Union has strongly condemned the attempt to assassinate Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi.
In a statement received by Mawazine News, the union said, "The perpetrators of this attempted attack must be held accountable," noting that "any violence is unacceptable and must not be allowed to undermine the democratic process."
He added, "Calm, restraint and dialogue are essential in the post-election period, and all parties must engage in political dialogue and cooperation to face the challenges facing Iraq, for the benefit of the country and the Iraqi people."
The union affirmed that it "continues to support the Iraqi people on their path towards peace, stability and prosperity." link
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Tishwash: Because of the attempt to assassinate Al-Kazemi.. the rise in the exchange rate of the dollar
A government source attributed the rise in dollar prices in the local markets to the security tensions in the capital, Baghdad.
The source said in a press interview, which was monitored by The Independent today, Sunday, that "what the Kifah Stock Exchange is witnessing now is the lack of supply compared to the demand for the dollar."
He added that "the exchange offices are now keeping the dollars, and citizens have resorted to buying dollars for fear of the current unstable conditions," noting that "the central bank's cash sales, which amount to nearly 50 million dollars per day, have no effect on local markets."
He expected that "the coming days will witness a further rise in the price of the dollar in the local markets if these security tensions remain."
It is noteworthy that the price of the dollar rose gradually in the Iraqi markets to reach in the main stock exchange 148,200 dinars per 100 dollars.
This comes at a time when Al-Kazemi's house in the fortified Green Zone in the center of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, was bombed at dawn today by a drone, which resulted in the injury of three members of his protection, and severe material damage to the contents of the house without the first being hurt.
The failed assassination attempt on Al-Kazemi occurred two days after the ignition of the crisis between the demonstrators against the election results, who are supporters of Shiite forces close to Iran, and the security forces charged with protecting the fortified Green Zone, which includes government buildings, and the headquarters of diplomatic missions in the center of the capital, Baghdad, after the protesters decided to storm the area from some Violent clashes erupted at its entrances, resulting in a number of victims and dozens of wounded on both sides. link
Mot: ~~~ Well Did Ya??? -- LOL -- I Actually Forgot!! ~~~
Mot: --- Dang!!! --- Going soooo Fast it is!! ~~~
