Iraqi official escaped an attempt of assassination

Baghdad Municipality announced that one of its senior officials escaped an attempt to assassinate him, saying that unidentified armed people launched an attack against his house at Sadr city, in the eastern side of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad. It added that the attack led to increasing material damages in his house.

According to the statement, the failure attempt came to retaliate against Baghdad Municipality for its increasing efforts to implement the law, saying that they launched a campaign to remove the building and shops that have been established illegally without taking the necessary measures. It stressed that the attempt will not prevent them from resuming their efforts to implement the law.

In the same context, two civilians died and eight others were wounded on Thursday when two bomb blasts hit areas in western Baghdad, according to security sources. One civilian was killed and three others were injured when an explosive device planted near a popular market in al-Nasr wal Salam area in Abu Gharib, west of Baghdad, went off.

Another bomb exploded near commercial stores in Sakalat, al-Resala, also west of Baghdad, killing one civilian and wounding five others. Violence and armed conflicts claimed the lives of 317 Iraqis and caused injuries to 403 others during the month of April, according to a monthly United Nations casualty count.

According to the United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI), Nineveh, where U.S.-backed Iraqi government troops are caught up in battles against Islamic State militants in Mosul since October, was the most affected governorate, with 276 casualties (153 killed, 123 injured). Baghdad Governorate followed with 55 killed and 179 injured. Salahuddin came third, with 15 killed and 43 injured.

Baghdad has seen almost daily bombings and armed attacks against security members, paramilitary groups and civilians since the Iraqi government launched a wide-scale campaign to retake IS-occupied areas in 2016.

On the other hand, An Iraqi commander has been killed in western Mosul, the Iraqi Joint Operations Command declared on Thursday.

“The Joint Operations Command mourns Colonel Mohamed Moheil Suleiman al-Jabouri, commander of the third group of the 16th division, who was killed while fulfilling the national duty in western Mosul,” the War Media Cell said in a statement.

Eastern Mosul was retaken in January after three months of battles. Another major offensive was launched in February to drive the Islamic State militants out of the western flank of the city.

Violence and armed conflicts claimed the lives of 317 Iraqis, and caused injuries to 403 others during the month of April, according to a monthly count by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI).

The total figure of victims signalled a drop from 1115 victims in March.

Nineveh, where U.S.-backed Iraqi government troops are caught up in battles against Islamic State militants in Mosul since October, came on top of the most affected governorate, with 276 casualties (153 killed, 123 injured). Baghdad Governorate came next with 55 killed and 179 injured. Salahuddin came third, with 15 killed and 43 injured.

Five Iraqi soldiers and 12 Islamic State suicide bombers died in 24 hours of fighting in western Mosul as operations near a total recapture of the city, according to police officers.

BasNews quoted Brig. Gen. Mohamed al-Jubouri, from the Interior Ministry’s Rapid Response forces, saying that the troops repelled a fierce attack by IS militants who used 20 booby-trapped vehicles. Twelve militants were killed in the attack which targeted troops at Tamuz, Mesherfa, Najjar and al-Rifaie neighborhoods.

Mohamed Jassem, a police officer from Mosul, also told BasNews that five police officers were killed and eight others were wounded Thursday when drones guided by Is militants bombed their deployment in al-Marir village, south of the city.

The Iraqi Joint Operations Command said Tuesday its forces took over 89.5 percent of territories in western Mosul, adding it had killed more than 16000 militants since the launch of Mosul operations in October.

Some generals were quoted saying they predict the city to be free before the end of this month.

Iraqi government forces are eyeing the ancient, densely structured and populated Old City, the place where Islamic State’s supreme leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared the establishment of an “Islamic Caliphate” in 2014. Troops besieged the area for weeks from the south, but turned to the northwestern axis to invade the city earlier this month. IS fighters are believed to have been holding hundreds of thousands at that area as human shields.

Source: Ahram online