BAGHDAD — An Iraqi lawmaker belonging to the anti-American party of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr was assassinated Thursday by a bomb that exploded as the politician’s motorcade passed near a Baghdad military checkpoint.
Saleh al-Auqaeili, 41, was a former spokesman and ranking member in the al-Sadr bloc, which has 30 seats in Iraq’s 275-member parliament. The killing came amid two weeks of increased violence across the country, including ambushes and suicide bombings that have killed dozens.
A bodyguard and at least one bystander also died.
A university professor with five children, al-Auqaeili was considered a moderate voice in al-Sadr’s camp. The morning attack in a secured part of the city raised concerns that different factions among Shiites, including groups supported by Iran and the rival Badr Brigade, might be targeting one another ahead of next year’s elections.
Baha Araji, a lawmaker from al-Sadr’s bloc, blamed the Iraqi military for lapses in security and suggested that the assassins might have targeted al-Auqaeili’s convoy for two reasons: the bloc’s opposition to renewing a security agreement that would prolong the stay of U.S. troops in the country, and a chance for enemies to weaken the bloc’s representation in parliament in the upcoming elections.
Al-Sadr, who is believed to be in Iran, has ordered his Mahdi Army militia to stop battling American troops. The decision was a big reason for the overall drop in violence in recent months.
In other developments Thursday, a bomb exploded near a minibus in Baqubah, about 35 miles northeast of Baghdad, killing a Sunni militiaman who belonged to the Awakening movement that had worked with American troops against Islamic militants. His wife, daughter and son also were killed.
A bomb detonated near a restaurant in Tall Afar, killing two people, including a police officer.
