ERBIL — The leader of a pro-Iran Shia militia group survived an assassination attempt on Sunday in southern Iraq, local security sources confirmed.
Unidentified gunmen attacked the residence of the commander of the Ansar al-Marja'iyya, Hamid al-Yasiri, and attempted entering the building, the source said.
Yasiri's personal protection guards and security forces engaged the assailants and thwarted the attack after a one-hour confrontation. There was no reports of casualties among either sides.
"A group of assailants in vehicles engaged with al-Yasiri's personal protection at the front gate of his residence in al-Fazza'iyyah, al-Rumaytha district, north of al-Muthanna," Shafaq News cited a source.
The assailants, however, managed to escape the scene and their identity remain unknown.