Iraqi Prime Minister calls for "calm and restraint" after surviving a drone attack

Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi said he was unhurt and appealed for "calm and restraint" after a drone attack on his residence in Baghdad's Green Zone early Sunday, amid political tensions mounting in the country.

"I'm doing fine, praise be to God, and I call for calm and restraint on the part of everyone for the good of Iraq," al-Kadhimi wrote on Twitter, after what his office called a "failed assassination attempt."

"Cowardly missiles and drones don't build nations," he said.

Reactions to the assassination attempt

Reactions to the assassination attempt against Iraqi Prime Minister al-Kadhimi continue to unfold.

Iraqi President describes the assassination attempt as a "terrorist attack"

Iraqi President Barham Salih described the assassination attempt as a "terrorist attack" and a "dangerous transgression and a heinous crime against Iraq."

Salih stressed the importance of unity to confront those "who are stalking the security of this country and the safety of its people."

"We cannot accept that Iraq will be dragged into chaos and a coup against its constitutional system,” he added.

US: Relieved to learn al-Kadhimi was unharmed

The US condemned the attack and said it was "relieved to learn the Prime Minister was unharmed."

"This apparent act of terrorism, which we strongly condemn, was directed at the heart of the Iraqi state," State Department Spokesperson Ned Price said in a statement.

"We are in close touch with the Iraqi security forces charged with upholding Iraq's sovereignty and independence and have offered our assistance as they investigate this attack," he said.

Iran: Assassination attempt is a new sedition

In a tweet, Iran's Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Shamkhani considered the assassination attempt as "a new sedition that must be traced back to foreign think tanks, which have brought nothing but insecurity, discord, and instability to oppressed Iraqi people through creation and support of terrorist groups and occupation of this country for years."

The attempt for Al-Kadhimi's terror is a new sedition that must be traced back to foreign think tanks, which have brought nothing but insecurity, discord & instability to oppressed Iraqi people through creation & support of terrorist groups & occupation of this country for years.
— علی شمخانی (@alishamkhani_ir) November 7, 2021

Al-Sadr: The attack targets Iraq and its people

For its part, the leader of the Sadrist Movement, Muqtada al-Sadr, tweeted that the attack targets Iraq and its people, as well as the country's security and stability.

UN Mission in Iraq strongly condemned the assassination attempt

In a statement, the UN mission in Iraq strongly condemned the assassination attempt on the Iraqi Prime Minister and stressed that "Terrorism, violence and unlawful acts must not be allowed to undermine Iraq’s stability and derail its democratic process."

UNAMI strongly condemns assassination attempt on Iraqi Prime Minister pic.twitter.com/5rxOqrAh15
— UNAMI (@UNIraq) November 7, 2021

A large number of security forces were deployed in and around the heavily guarded Green Zone, which also hosts the US embassy.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for Sunday's attack, which left two bodyguards injured, according to a security source.