So the timing here is taken by a lot of Iraqis as a warning from these militias as to, don't get too comfortable you know who still rules the streets, and it's not Iraqi forces. And that was just a day after Kadhimi fired the Basra security commander. To illustrate this, just yesterday in Basra, Iraq's second-biggest city, a female physician who was a protest activist was killed by gunmen on motorcycles. So one of the main issues is whether Kadhimi can rein in Iran-backed militias as he's promised.
You know, that term, at the crossroad - overused a lot, but this one really is. INSKEEP: Sounds like he faces a dire situation at home.ĪRRAF: Absolutely. He's worked for U.S.-backed media organizations, and he probably has a feel for the U.S. That was seen as punishment for the previous Iraqi prime ministers not doing enough to stop militia attacks on U.S. How is the new prime minister likely to get along with the president?ĪRRAF: Probably - well, certainly a lot better than his predecessor, Adil Abdul-Mahdi, who never got to see Trump, even though Trump visited Iraq and didn't make an effort to meet him. INSKEEP: Yeah, a complicated situation - not exactly an outsider, even if he's a new prime minister, if he'd been the intelligence chief. to comply with sanctions against Iran, which happens to be one of Iraq's neighbors and one of its biggest trading partners. And he's dealing with a pandemic, a drop in oil prices and a lot of pressure by the U.S. But he's also trying to implement all these reforms. Now, Kadhimi's main job is to prepare Iraq for early elections that break with the past. And that, of course, is one of the main concerns of the U.S. And his predecessor, who was never received at the White House, was forced to step down after months of antigovernment protests against corruption, lack of government services, Iranian influence. He took power just this May at a crucial time in Iraq. And then he was chosen as the country's intelligence chief. He has been an exile till 2003, when he came back to Iraq as a journalist. Hi there, Jane.ĪRRAF: Well, as you say, Mustafa Al-Kadhimi - interesting guy. NPR's Jane Arraf covers Iraq and joins us from Amman, Jordan. The United States killed an Iranian general who was visiting Iraq at the time, which prompted Iraqi lawmakers to call on U.S. Mustafa Al-Kadhimi must also manage the aftermath of an event in January. He's a new leader after protests against corruption forced a government shakeup. The report states that with the arrival of larger drones or more powerful motors, the IED payloads will increase in size which will make it more attractive to the user for delivering larger payloads.Today Iraq's new prime minister meets President Trump here in Washington, D.C. Threat from drones capable of delivering IEDs evolvingĪccording to a report titled ‘ Drones and the IED threat’ by Action on Armed Violence (AOAV), the threat from drones capable of delivering IEDs is evolving and the operating environment in Syria and Iraq will not only allow users to learn new lessons rapidly but also to test new methods of attack. Seven soldiers were injured in the attack and many people were later arrested. The President blamed Colombia for the attack but Bogota called his accusations “baseless”. The attack took place while he was speaking at a military event in Caracas. In 2019, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro survived an assassination attempt involving explosive drones. This is not the first time a drone has been used to target the head of the state. This development comes at a time when supporters of heavily armed pro-Iran groups staged demonstrations near the Green Zone protesting against the results of general elections held on October 10. Western diplomats based in the Green Zone, which houses government buildings and foreign embassies, said they heard explosions and gunfire in the area, reported Reuters.Īs of now, no group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack I am fine, praise be to God, among my people, and I call for calm and restraint from everyone, for the sake of Iraq,” he said. “The steadfastness and insistence of our heroic security forces will not falter as they work to preserve the security of the people, achieve justice and enforce the law. In a tweet, the Iraqi PM said that the “rockets of treachery” will not discourage the believers. New Delhi: Iraq’s Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi has survived an assassination attempt after a drone attack on his official residence Sunday night, his office said.Ī drone tried to target the residence of the premier, who was not injured, his office said in a statement. I call for calm and restraint from everyone, for the sake of Iraq, he said in a tweet.