Iraqi Govt. blames Shi’ite groups for botched attack on prime minister

November 9, 2021 carleyshaffer1 US 0

FILE - Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi poses in his office during an interview with The Associated Press in Baghdad, Iraq, Friday, July 23, 2021. The Iraqi government says Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi has survived an assassination attempt with an armed drone and is unharmed. In a statement released Sunday, Nov. 7, the government said the drone tried to hit al-Kadhimi’s home in Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone area. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed, File)

Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi poses in his office during an interview with The Associated Press in Baghdad, Iraq, Friday, July 23, 2021. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed, File)

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UPDATED 1:56 PM PT – Tuesday, November 9, 2021

The Iraqi government is blaming an Iranian-backed paramilitary group for the recent assassination attempt on the prime minister of Iraq.

Reports on Tuesday found Shi’ite militias “Kataib Hezbollah” and “Asaib Ahl al-Haq” were involved with the drone attack on Sunday, which targeted the prime minister. Both groups are aligned with Iran’s Ayatollah regime, but Iraqi officials aren’t yet certain if the attack was ordered directly by Tehran.

Although the prime minister escaped unscathed, the incident has strained Iraqi-Iranian ties and may add to domestic instability in Iraq. However, no parties have claimed responsibility for the attack.

This photo provided by the Iraqi Prime Minister’s Media Office shows the aftermath of an assassination attempt at the home of Iraq’s Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi in the heavily fortified Green Zone in Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday, Nov. 7, 2021. (Iraqi Prime Minister Media Office, via AP)

“We will continue to search for the perpetrators of this heinous crime, which they committed yesterday by targeting the residence of the prime minister. We will search for the perpetrators, and we know them very well,” said Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi. “We will find them, surely.”

Meanwhile, supporters of Shi’ite militias that reside in Iraq have accused the prime minister of foul play, alleging the attack could be an “inside job” to justify crackdown on pro-Iranian groups.