Al-Azm Alliance warns of attacks on candidates ahead of Iraq elections

Armed attacks and threats against candidates are escalating ahead of Iraq’s November 11 parliamentary elections, a leading political bloc warned on Saturday.

Al-Azm Alliance, led by Muthanna al-Samarrai, said armed groups are targeting candidates to spread fear and disrupt the vote, urging Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani to ensure security for campaign events and polling centers.
“The alliance has faced a wave of intimidation and defamation,” senior member Bashir Shihab al-Khazraji told Shafaq News, reporting a Friday night shooting at the Baghdad office of council member Muthanna al-Azzawi, where two guards were wounded.

The attack came days after Safaa al-Mashhadani, a Baghdad Provincial Council member and al-Siyada (Sovereignty) Alliance candidate, was killed by a sticky bomb in Tarmiyah. No arrests have been announced.