Why Aren’t Iraqis Buying the Govt Narrative on PM Assassination Attempt?

Less than a month ago, three explosive-loaded drones attacked the residence of Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi in what has been regarded as a failed, yet dangerous assassination attempt. However, the recent government announcement of probe findings into the incident has not been greatly welcomed by Iraqi social media users.

According to the government report announced yesterday, the investigation committee has admitted their inability to identify the attackers, despite releasing a video detailing the events that took place in the early hours of November 7th, 2021.

Translation: We've heard that Al-Basri and Al-Asadi were removed from their positions but not the head of intelligence. Wasn't this a major security breach? Another question; if Al-Kadhimi wasn't at home at the time of the attack, how come he has a hand band?"

While three people continue to be under arrest for their alleged connection to the attack that caused damage to the building, the Iraqi government failed to name a specific political entity of the attack.

In response to this announcement that came in about three weeks after the attack, many Iraqis took to social media to cast doubts about these findings, suggesting that the whole assassination attempt was "staged by Mustafa Al-Kadhimi to distract the public who had doubted the validity of recent election results."

Translation: "This is not a play at all. The man was threatened explicitly by Qais Khazali. Why are you twisting that?"

Online people mocked the Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi and his followers saying that "their narrative is not believable" and is "more of a play than anything else."

While some people defended the Iraqi Prime Minister, some still questioned the reason the head of Iraqi intelligence kept his job at a time Abu Ali Al-Basri, the head of counterterrorism for Iraq's National Intelligence Service, and Abdel-Ghani Al-Asadi, Head of the National Security were removed from their positions.

Translation: "The purpose of the invitation committee in the assassination play is: either you accept the fraud election results or you'll be prosecuted for being involved in the assassination attempt. Iraq is finished."

Using the hashtag #مسرحيه_الاغتيال (the assassination play), many Iraqis shared cartoons that mocked the Prime Minister and government figures while calling for credible investigations into the killings of protesters who had demonstrated against the government during the last few years.