The US embassy in Iraq accused on Monday the pro-Iran Kataib Hezbollah group of being behind the attack on an Agriculture Ministry building in Baghdad as a new director was being sworn in.
A group of fighters from the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) carried out the attack, said the Interior Ministry.
The Kataib Hezbollah are part of the PMF.
At least one police officer was killed and 14 PMF fighters have been arrested.
The embassy offered its condolences to the families of the victims, “who were killed by Kataib Hezbollah, which is designated as a terrorist organization by the United States.”
Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani chaired an emergency security meeting on Sunday to address the situation.
Sudani stressed the need to uphold the law and protect state institutions. No leniency should be shown in the case, he added, urging investigations to uncover how the perpetrators were able to carry out the attack.
He called for bringing them to justice. “No one is above the law,” he declared, demanding that the probe be held according to professional standards.
Forces within the pro-Iran Shiite Coordination Framework held an emergency meeting to also discuss the attack.
Informed sources said the meeting “gave Sudani the green light to pursue the perpetrators.”
Information that has emerged in the past 24 hours revealed that the attack stemmed from disputes between armed factions and local powers over agricultural territory in the al-Dora region south of Baghdad.
The disputes culminated in the sacking of the old director, who is affiliated with Kataib Hezbollah. The new director is affiliated with another armed faction, leading to the clash between the two parties and the police and security forces intervening.
