Iraqi MP's Baghdad office targeted with grenade hours after similar attack on party HQ

The office of an Iraqi official was targeted in Baghdad on Sunday, just over 24 hours after another attack targeted his party's office.
2 min read
17 January, 2022
Tensions remain high in Iraq following the parliamentary elections last year [Getty- archive]

Unknown assailants targeted the office of a politician in the Iraqi capital in the early hours of Sunday with a hand grenade, without resulting in casualties.

Abdul Karim Abtan's office, located in south Baghdad's Saidiya district, only suffered material damage after the attack.

He is an MP and member of the Progress coalition, led by newly re-elected Iraqi Parliament Speaker Mohammed Al-Halbousi.

This was the second attack to target the coalition in days.

Its main office in north Baghdad's Adhamiya area was targeted with an explosive device on Friday, but only caused material damage without any casualties.

Tensions have been high since general elections in October last year. Factions are in disagreement over the formation of a new government.

Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi escaped an attempted assassination on his residency in Baghdad in November.

Injuries were also reported Sunday night when two explosions rocked Baghdad's Karada area, causing fires and material damage.

Car and suicide bombings used to be a near-daily occurrence in Iraq's capital. The city has become relatively safer since the defeat of insurgencies.

The Islamic State group which once controlled large swathes of northern and western Iraq continues to wage a low-level insurgency, and many Iran-backed Shia militias are active in the country.

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