Iraq: Senior Sunni official survives assassination attempt

The head of Iraq’s Sunni Endowment, a governmental entity, survived an assassination attempt yesterday while he was supervising the situation of families in areas recaptured from Daesh in the east of Mosul.

The Sunni Endowment spokesperson Harith Al-Janabi told the Anadolu Agency that Abdul Al–Lateef Al–Hmyem survived a sniper operation by Daesh while he was “on the frontlines with security forces” in Mosul’s eastern area.

Al–Hmyem and his security guards were unharmed, Janabi added.

“Today Al-Humaim supervised the distribution of aid to families in the areas of Al-Samah 1 and 2, Kawkajli and Al-Zahraa,” Al-Janabi said.

On 17 October, the Iraqi government forces launched a military operation to recapture Mosul from Daesh’s control, with 45,000 Iraqi army and police forces, backed by the Popular Mobilisation Shia militias; the Nineveh Plain Protection Units, which are largely formed by Assyrian Christian Iraqis; and the Peshmarga Kurdish forces.

A US-led international coalition provides air cover in support of the military operation, which is led by Iraqi forces.