PM Mustafa Al-Khadimi Becomes Target Of Drone Attack, President Biden Orders National Security Team To Help Iraq

Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Khadimi with President Joe Biden. (Wikimedia Commons/The White House)

JAKARTA - United States President Joe Biden condemned the attack on the residence of Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi, saying he had instructed the national security team to offer assistance to Iraq.

"The perpetrators of terrorist attacks in this country of Iraq must be held accountable. I strongly condemn those who use violence to undermine Iraq's democratic process", President Biden said in a statement Sunday, citing Sputnik News.

At the same time, President Biden also praised the leadership shown by PM Mustafa al-Kadhimi in calling for calm, restraint, and dialogue after the attack.

"I have instructed my national security team to offer all appropriate assistance to Iraqi security forces as they investigate this attack and identify those responsibly. The United States stands with the Iraqi government and people as they seek to uphold Iraqi sovereignty and independence", continued President Biden.

Separately, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken held a telephone conversation with PM al-Kadhimi after the drone strike on the latter's residence. According to the US State Department, Secretary of State Blinken reiterated the United States is ready to support Iraqi security forces in their investigation into the attack.

Previously, several media outlets, the residence of Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, was under drone attack and hit by rockets in the early hours of Sunday. Iraqi media said that three of the prime minister's security guards were injured.

For information, Iraq's Interior Ministry declared Sunday's attempted attack on Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi a terrorist attack, saying it was carried out using three drones, two of which crashed.

He survived unharmed from an assassination attempt by an armed drone in Baghdad, officials said on Sunday.