Iraqi election candidate killed in car-bomb attack

No group has claimed responsibility for assassination of Sunni politician Safaa Al Mashhadani

Billboards featuring candidates in Iraq's forthcoming parliamentary elections, on a street in Baghdad. AFP

A Sunni politician and candidate in imminent elections has been assassinated in a bomb attack north of Baghdad, the Speaker of Iraq's parliament said on Wednesday. Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani has ordered an inquiry.

Safaa Al Mashhadani, a member of the Baghdad provincial council who was due to run in national elections scheduled for next month, had been travelling near the town of Tarmiya after midnight when the bomb went off, Speaker Mahmoud Al Mashhadani said.

The Speaker described the attack as "a cowardly terrorist act that sought to undermine the men of stance and principle".

"Tarmiya has lost one of its loyal, virtuous sons who dedicated himself to serving the people, and sincerely and faithfully sought to uphold the values ​​of justice and patriotism," he said.

The assassinated politician had had an "active presence in the political and societal arenas, defending the causes of his region and his country with a sincere patriotic spirit", the Speaker added.

The bomb had been placed under a car, a technique often used by militant groups in Iraq in the past, a security official told The National. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

The dead election candidate was affiliated to the Siyada Coalition, which is led by the Sunni tycoon Khamis Al Khanjar, who has tribal support mainly in Al Anbar and Salaheddin provinces, as well as regional backing from countries such as Turkey and Qatar.

The coalition condemned the "cowardly crime", calling it "an extension of the approach of exclusion, targeting and treachery pursued by the forces of uncontrolled weapons and terrorism, all of which seek to silence free national voices".

It said Mr Al Mashhadani "fought and struggled for his people and his city of Tarmiyah, against both terrorism and the forces of uncontrolled weapons".

Tarmiya is known for its volatile security situation, with remnants of ISIS still active in remote areas. The militants frequently target security personnel and civilians.

In recent years, Iraq has seen a significant decline in such attacks, a shift largely attributed to improved security and the effective targeting of ISIS by Iraqi security forces backed by the US-led international coalition.

Iraqis will head to the polls on November 11 in their country’s sixth parliamentary elections since the 2003 US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein's regime. These elections are expected to be fiercely contested. The majority of Iraq's 329 MPs represent Shiite parties aligned with neighbouring Iran.