Targeted Assassinations Haunt Upcoming Elections in Iraq

The logo of the Independent High Electoral Commission
The logo of the Independent High Electoral Commission
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Targeted Assassinations Haunt Upcoming Elections in Iraq

The logo of the Independent High Electoral Commission
The logo of the Independent High Electoral Commission

Targeted assassinations threatening the lives of civil society activists and candidates running in Iraq’s 2021 parliamentary elections, slated for October 10, have fueled fears that the early vote will be delayed until next year.

Ihab al-Wazni, who helped organize anti-government protests that swept Iraq in October 2019, was shot dead on Sunday outside his home in Karbala, a city located 100 km south of Baghdad.

Only a day later, another murder attempt sought to take out journalist Ahmed Hassan in the nearby city of Diwaniyah, located 180 km south of the capital.

In parallel, a female candidate from Baqubah province, situated northeast of Baghdad, also reported an attempt on her life.

The heightened risk of assassination has been directly linked to candidates increasingly pulling out from the October race.

For example, the Bayariq Al-Khair parliamentary bloc revealed on Wednesday that some of its candidates had withdrawn from the upcoming elections after receiving death threats.

“Some candidates of the Bayariq al-Khair bloc in Baghdad withdrew from the upcoming parliament elections after receiving death threats,” said Muhammad al-Khalidi, who heads the bloc.

Khalidi held relevant security authorities responsible for the safety of candidates.

“Security services are aware of what happened and have seen the messages that the candidates received,” he said.

Traditional political parties in Iraq are in dismay over the prospects of losing some of their power in parliament after the October poll, which is predicted to log a higher turnout rate compared to previous elections.

Civil society candidates, who represent anti-government protesters and movements, will be partaking in the elections and are likely to win over some of the seats formerly held by conventional politicians.

Threatened by this white-hot competition, weakened parties are likely to resort to carrying out a troubling campaign of assassinations to eliminate their rivals.

Although assassinations have been part of the Iraqi political scene for years now, this is the first time the killings are taking place away from western governorates, where Al-Qaeda and ISIS were typically behind eliminating those partaking in elections.



At Least 15 Killed in Suicide Bombing at Damascus Church

A Syrian man reacts inside Mar Elias church where a suicide bomber detonated himself in Dweila in the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, Sunday June 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)
A Syrian man reacts inside Mar Elias church where a suicide bomber detonated himself in Dweila in the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, Sunday June 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)
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At Least 15 Killed in Suicide Bombing at Damascus Church

A Syrian man reacts inside Mar Elias church where a suicide bomber detonated himself in Dweila in the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, Sunday June 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)
A Syrian man reacts inside Mar Elias church where a suicide bomber detonated himself in Dweila in the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, Sunday June 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)

At least 15 people were killed when a suicide bomber blew himself up at the Mar Elias Church in the Dweila neighborhood of Syria's capital Damascus on Sunday, security sources said.

Syria's interior ministry said the suicide bomber was an ISIS member. He entered the church, opened fire and then detonated his explosive vest, the ministry added in a statement.

A security source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said two men were involved in the attack, including the one who blew himself up.

Syria's state news agency cited the health ministry as putting the preliminary casualty toll at nine dead and 13 injured.

Some local media reported that children were among the casualties.

A livestream from the site by Syria's civil defense, the White Helmets, showed scenes of destruction from within the church, including a bloodied floor and shattered church pews and masonry.

Syrian Information Minister Hamza Mostafa condemned the attack, calling it a terrorist attack.

“This cowardly act goes against the civic values that brings us together,” he said in a post on X. “We will not back down from our commitment to equal citizenship ... and we also affirm the state’s pledge to exert all its efforts to combat criminal organizations and to protect society from all attacks threatening its safety.”