Iraqi governor survives assassination attempt

By Osman al-Shalash

BAGHDAD, Iraq

The governor of northern Iraq’s Saladin province, Ahmed al-Jabouri, survived an assassination attempt Thursday, a local police officer said.

“A device exploded as al-Jabouri’s motorcade was passing south of the province,” Ghazwan al-Jabouri told Anadolu Agency.

No injuries were reported in the attack, which only caused damage to a number of vehicles.

Iraqi authorities have yet to comment on the attack, for which no group has claimed responsibility.

Elsewhere, two children were killed in a bomb blast in Ramadi in western Iraq.

Iraq has suffered a devastating security vacuum since mid-2014, when Daesh terrorist group captured the northern city of Mosul and overran large swathes of territory in the northern and western parts of the country.

On Thursday, Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi announced the capture of Qayyara district in northern Iraq from Daesh.

Qayyara is a strategically important area for Iraqi forces planning to capture Mosul, Iraq’s second largest city, from the terrorist group.