A prominent member of the Asaib Ahl al-Haq survived on Sunday an assassination attempt in Iraq’s southern Dhi Qar governorate.
Ziad al-Oujaili told local media that assailants on a motorcycle tossed a bag containing an explosive under his vehicle.
He said he was only four meters away from the car when it went off.
He escaped unscathed and the car was destroyed.
Police are now investigating the incident, he added.
The Asaib Ahl al-Haq has risen to prominence in recent years, especially after the rise to power of the pro-Iran Shiite Coordination Framework of which it is a part of.
Just years ago it was a minor faction that only boasted one member at parliament. The faction was initially formed after it defected from the Sadrist movement of influential cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.
Now, the Asaib Ahl al-Haq enjoys 15 MPs at parliament and it occupies important ministerial positions, including the post of minister of education, and public positions throughout central and southern Iraq.
Assassination attempts are usually tied to partisan disputes over the governance of provinces, rivalry over economic projects or disputes between clans.
Dhi Qar has been tense over the arrest of Coordination Framework member Ammar al-Rikabi on Wednesday on charges of running an online extortion network.
