Bomb attacks target headquarters of 2 Sunni parliamentary parties in Baghdad

Baghdad, Jan 15 (IANS) Two bomb attacks targeted headquarters of two major Sunni parties in the Iraqi capital Baghdad without causing casualties, a source with the Interior Ministry said.

The attacks took place on Friday morning when unidentified gunmen threw hand grenades at the headquarters of Taqaddum Alliance, headed by the re-elected Parliament Speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi, in the Adhamiyah neighbourhood in northern Baghdad, the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

Another attack with hand grenades targeted headquarters of Azem Alliance, headed by businessman Khamis al-Khanjar, in the Yarmouk neighbourhood in western part of the capital, the source said.

Earlier, the two Sunni groups allied to form a larger Sunni parliamentary group, including 65 Sunni lawmakers, who later managed to ally themselves with the Sadrist Movement and the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP). They all later voted to re-elect al-Halbousi as Parliament Speaker on January 9, when the Iraqi Parliament held its first session, which witnessed a heated debate between the parliamentary blocs, Xinhua news agency reported.

The Iraqi parliamentary elections, originally scheduled for 2022, were held on October 10, 2021, in response to months of protests against corruption, poor governance, and a lack of public services.

–IANS

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