A senior Iraqi Kurdish political figure, Barham Salih, has escaped unharmed from an apparent assassination attempt at his home in Sulemaniyeh. 

Mr. Salih is prime minister of the part of Iraqi Kurdistan controlled by the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), one of the two main Kurdish factions in northern Iraq. 

PUK officials told VOA that a car pulled up to Mr. Salih's house late Tuesday afternoon and men in the vehicle starting shooting shortly after Mr. Salih returned home. 

They say three of his bodyguards were killed in the assault. Guards returned fire, killing two men in the car. Two other gunmen fled the vehicle and escaped. 

PUK officials say they do not know who was behind the attack, but they speculate that it could have been the work of Islamists who have been fighting with the secular Kurdish factions of northern Iraq. 

Email this article to a friend.
Printer Friendly Version