Nine missiles had hit the Green Zone in Baghdad, where government buildings and foreign embassies are located, just before a contentious parliamentary session to select a new president was about to begin, a military statement released on Thursday claimed.
Following the rocket landing, the morning session stopped unprecedentedly but at least 269 of 329 Iraqi parliamentarians joined the afternoon session once the quorum was restored.
No immediate claim of responsibility was made. The assaults came after an alliance of Iran-backed Shiite parties claimed to be Parliament`s most prominent group.
The alliance nominated Mohammed Shia al-Sudani for prime minister, a formal step before forming the new administration.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi denounced the incident on Twitter, stating, "We oppose any effort that is intended towards demolishing democracy or in any way hampers the process."
"We favour constitutional timelines to settle the political crisis," he stated.
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