BAGHDAD, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- Two bomb attacks on Friday targeted headquarters of two major Sunni parties in the Iraqi capital Baghdad without causing casualties, a source with the Interior Ministry said.
The attacks took place in the morning when unidentified gunmen threw hand grenades at the headquarters of Taqaddum Alliance, headed by the re-elected Parliament Speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi, in the Adhamiyah neighborhood in northern Baghdad, the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.
Another attack with hand grenades targeted headquarters of Azem Alliance, headed by businessman Khamis al-Khanjar, in the Yarmouk neighborhood in western the capital, the source said.
Earlier, the two Sunni groups allied to form a larger Sunni parliamentary group, including 65 Sunni lawmakers, who later managed to ally themselves with the Sadrist Movement and the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP). They all later voted to re-elect al-Halbousi as parliament speaker on Jan. 9, when the Iraqi parliament held its first session, which witnessed a heated debate between the parliamentary blocs.
The Iraqi parliamentary elections, originally scheduled for 2022, were held on Oct. 10, 2021 in response to months of protests against corruption, poor governance, and a lack of public services. ■
