Iraq: Katyusha Targets House of Anti-Corruption Official


Iraqi soldiers stand on a truck in Sinjar (AP)
Iraqi soldiers stand on a truck in Sinjar (AP)
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Iraq: Katyusha Targets House of Anti-Corruption Official


Iraqi soldiers stand on a truck in Sinjar (AP)
Iraqi soldiers stand on a truck in Sinjar (AP)

The Iraqi Federal Intelligence and Investigations Agency announced that a Katyusha rocket targeted the home of the Interior Ministry’s Undersecretary for Intelligence.

The agency issued a statement announcing that the house of Lt-Gen Ahmed Abu Ragheef was targeted by a Katyusha rocket in Baghdad’s Karrada area on Wednesday morning.

Prime Minister Mustafa Kadhimi had assigned Abu Ragheef to chair the national supreme anti-corruption committee.

The Interior Ministry said that it was a failed attempt, and the attack had only damaged the fence of the house, adding that the site of the launchpad has been determined and the perpetrators will be brought to justice.

The committee has sparked widespread controversy being the only body to arrest dozens of persons involved in corruption charges, including senior officials.

Political observers believe that Abu Ragheef became a target of the corrupt mafias targeting him and undermining his committee before the public.

A large explosion shook large parts of Baghdad on Wednesday after a locally-made Katyusha rocket fell on Abu Nawas Street on the Tigris River, opposite the Green Zone.

Security sources indicated that the missile was set to target the Green Zone but missed it and landed on an apartment building without causing any significant casualties.

On Wednesday, the Security Media Cell statement stated that the rocket was launched from east of Baghdad, near the al-Amana neighborhood.

The security forces arrested a suspect near Muzaffar Square, east of the capital.

The Green Zone, which hosts government and parliament buildings, many diplomatic missions, most notably the US embassy, and the houses of several senior Iraqi officials, has often been targeted by dozens of missiles landing in empty lots or on civilian homes.



Iraqi Kurdistan: Assailant of Assyrian Celebration Attack Affiliated with ISIS

 Akitu holiday celebrators carrying a flag for the Assyrians in Iraq (AP). 
 Akitu holiday celebrators carrying a flag for the Assyrians in Iraq (AP). 
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Iraqi Kurdistan: Assailant of Assyrian Celebration Attack Affiliated with ISIS

 Akitu holiday celebrators carrying a flag for the Assyrians in Iraq (AP). 
 Akitu holiday celebrators carrying a flag for the Assyrians in Iraq (AP). 

Authorities in Duhok, in Iraq’s Kurdistan region, announced on Wednesday that the attack carried out by a Syrian national during a Christian celebration in the city was an “act of terrorism.”

On Tuesday, the attacker infiltrated a gathering of Syriac Christians celebrating the Akitu festival in central Duhok. He then pulled out an axe and attacked a young man, a 70-year-old woman, and a security officer.

Videos circulating on local media platforms showed a group of people apprehending the attacker, who was seen making hand gestures and shouting “Islamic State.” Shamon Shlimon, the deputy governor of Duhok, stated that initial investigations revealed the attacker was a Syrian national and that given the slogans he shouted, “it is clear that the attack was an act of terrorism.”

Later, security sources confirmed that the assailant admitted to police that he belonged to a terrorist organization.

The Kurdistan Regional Security Council later announced that the attacker was affiliated with an ISIS-linked group. In a press statement, the council said: “While the people of Duhok were celebrating Akitu, an individual holding extremist ISIS ideologies attacked citizens in the market with a sharp weapon.”

The Kurdistan Regional Presidency condemned the “criminal attack,” affirming that it would not tolerate any actions that undermine the culture of coexistence, acceptance, and tolerance.

In a statement on Wednesday, the presidency said it was “closely following” the investigation into the “criminal attack” in Duhok, assuring that the perpetrator will face legal consequences.

This is the first attack of its kind in Duhok. Chaldeans and Syriacs celebrate Babylonian-Assyrian New Year (Akitu) every April 1. During the recent attack, more than 8,000 people were present, half of whom were from outside the Kurdistan region, according to local reports.

The Akitu festival features celebrations, cultural and artistic events, and recreational activities, including traditional dances.