Conflicting Reports Emerge over Assassination Attempt against Iraqi Officer
Deputy Director of Military Intelligence at the Iraqi Ministry of Defense, Brigadier General Zaid al-Maksousi, survived an assassination attempt in an area south of Baghdad on Saturday.
Security sources said that as his
convoy was making its way back to Baghdad, it was attacked near the Diyala
Bridge by gunmen traveling in three Salvador vehicles.
Maksousi’s security exchanged fire
with them, injuring one and seizing one of their cars. Two of the security
forces were also injured in the incident.
No one claimed the responsibility
for the attack, including the ISIS terrorist organization.
An informed source told Asharq
Al-Awsat that Maksousi was returning to the capital from the Wasit governorate,
where he was on a social visit accompanied by his brother.
The source explained that given
his rank and involvement in the liberation battles against ISIS, Maksousi is
more likely to be targeted by the terrorist organization.
However, preliminary information
revealed that the official was not the intended target, and that the attack was
a result of a dispute between two tribes in the region, according to the source.
Diyala and the surrounding areas
continue to suffer from instability due to conflicts between ISIS, armed
factions and militias that are active in the region
Diyala MP Mudar al-Karawi said the
province is suffering from “security vacuum” in five areas, most notably the
countryside of Jalawla, which was repeatedly attacked by terrorists several
months ago. Several civilians and members of the security forces were killed
and injured in those attacks.
Karawi added that the Defense
Ministry has pledged to immediately address the situation through a number of
plans, including the deployment of several surveillance points.
The MP stressed the importance of
improving security in Diyala that would in turn maintain security in Baghdad.
