Bombs target Iraq communist party headquarters

Two homemade bombs targeted the headquarters of the Iraqi Communist Party, a party in alliance with Moqtada alSadr

BAGHDAD, IRAQ: Two homemade bombs targeted the headquarters of the Iraqi Communist Party, which is part of an alliance with cleric Moqtada alSadr that won Iraq’s parliamentary election, a party official and security sources said.

The explosive devices were hurled into the garden of the building in Baghdad on Friday and did not cause any casualties, said Jassim Helfi, a senior member of the party.



He described the incident as a message from those opposed to the Sairoon bloc’s calls for reforms in Iraq. Sairoon has promised to end corruption and foreign interference in Iraq’s affairs.

Sadr scored a surprise victory in the election by promising better services and tapping growing resentment with Iran and what voters say is its support for a corrupt political elite.



The cleric himself cannot become prime minister because he did not run in the election, though his bloc’s victory puts him in a position to have a strong say in negotiations on forming a new government.

Sadr reached out to dispossessed Shias and marginalized Sunnis, and restored links with Sunni neighbors while keeping Iran at bay.

The nationalist cleric’s success could be a setback for Iran, which has steadily increased its influence in Iraq--its most important ally in the Middle East--since a US-led invasion toppled Saddam Hussein in 2003.

Before the election, Iran publicly stated it would not allow Sadr’s bloc to govern in Iraq, with which it shares a border.