Unidentified men on motorcycle detonate explosives in front of Iraqi activist's home

Damage is seen at the house of Iraqi activist Hisham al-Shammari following the detonation of an explosive device placed there by unknown men in the southern city of Nasiriyah, Jan. 19, 2021. (Photo: Social Media)
Damage is seen at the house of Iraqi activist Hisham al-Shammari following the detonation of an explosive device placed there by unknown men in the southern city of Nasiriyah, Jan. 19, 2021. (Photo: Social Media)

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Unknown individuals placed and detonated an explosive device in front of the house of an activist in the Iraqi city of Nasiriyah, the capital of southern Dhi Qar province, with an explosive device that caused material damage but no human causalities.

Hisham al-Shammari, who has been a visible participant at recent demonstrations in Nasiriyah, shared surveillance camera footage from Tuesday that showed two people on a motorcycle stopping in front of the house in the al-Fida neighborhood, placing the device, and driving off.

It exploded soon thereafter, causing material damage but no casualties.

Ongoing nationwide demonstrations protesting widespread institutional corruption, chronic shortfalls in public services, and a poor standard of living began in October 2019 and led to the resignation of the previous prime minister and his administration.

Dhi Qar, however, has suffered the largest proportion of killings and kidnappings against those taking part in the popular civil unrest.

Most observers, including the United Nations, have put most of the blame for such actions squarely on Iranian-backed militias of Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF). 

Most recently, crowds yet again took to the streets in Nasiriyah in early January after a wave of arrests by security forces targeting local activists. Condemning the violence, the national human rights commission said in a statement that the actions this month have led to a police officer’s death and the wounding of 111 demonstrators and security forces.

Read More: Protests escalate in Iraq’s Nasiriyah; deaths and injuries reported

Al-Shammari pointed out that some citizens who have surveillance cameras installed in their homes and have additional footage that could be used as evidence but have refused to share the files for fear of being targeted by the same group or individuals that targeted him.

He also stated that he initiated a judicial complaint and recorded his statements of the incident, and the case was transferred to the federal Counter-Terrorism Service, due to the seriousness of the matter.

Editing by John J. Catherine