Sunday, March 11, 2007
Iraqi Islamic Party headquarters attacked
Security
(The Guardian) Four people were reportedly killed and two more were wounded when an explosion rocked the headquarters of the Iraqi Islamic Party as politicians were leaving a reception there, police sources said Sunday. The Iraqi Islamic Party is a Sunni party, lead by Iraqi Vice President Tarek al-Hashimi, with its headquarters in southern Mosul, 450 kilometres north of Baghdad. The party is part of the Iraqi Accord Front, the Sunni coalition which has 44 seats in Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's government.
Police sources did not say whether the blast was caused by a suicide attack. However, Voices of Iraq news agency quoted Mohammad Shaker al-Ghanam, an official from the party, as saying that an unidentified body found near the blast site might 'belong to a suicide bomber who carried out the attack.' Al-Ghanam also said that the blast targeted the information office of the party headquarters. The reason for the attack was not immediately clear. The party is the only Sunni political movement with a national base. Mosul also has witnessed a rise in suspected Sunni insurgent attacks, including a reported raid on a prison last week that allowed nearly 150 prisoners to escape. Most were quickly captured.
Police sources did not say whether the blast was caused by a suicide attack. However, Voices of Iraq news agency quoted Mohammad Shaker al-Ghanam, an official from the party, as saying that an unidentified body found near the blast site might 'belong to a suicide bomber who carried out the attack.' Al-Ghanam also said that the blast targeted the information office of the party headquarters. The reason for the attack was not immediately clear. The party is the only Sunni political movement with a national base. Mosul also has witnessed a rise in suspected Sunni insurgent attacks, including a reported raid on a prison last week that allowed nearly 150 prisoners to escape. Most were quickly captured.
Labels: explosion, Iraqi Islamic Party, Mohammad Shaker al-Ghanam, Mosul, Tareq al-Hashemi
