BAGHDAD, Dec 5: Former Iraqi prime minister Iyad Allawi on Monday stood by a claim that he was nearly assassinated in a mosque in Najaf and suggested unidentified foreigners may have been involved. Mr Allawi said that in Sunday’s attack men in and around the Imam Ali shrine had been armed with guns and long knives. He fled the mosque when an angry crowd pelted him with rocks, tomatoes and shoes. “I got hit with a stone here,” said Iyad Allawi, pointing to a small mark on the right side of his chin. “I think they aimed the stone at my upper head in an attempt to knock me down.”—Reuters

Opinion

Editorial

Centre vs provinces
Updated 10 Jun, 2026

Centre vs provinces

The reason the centre finds itself in this position is rooted in its failure to expand the tax net and boost revenues.
Party in crisis
10 Jun, 2026

Party in crisis

THE young KP chief minister must be starting to realise just how thorny a seat he occupies. There has been a flurry...
Varsity woes
10 Jun, 2026

Varsity woes

FINANCIAL crises affecting public sector universities across Pakistan are now having an impact on academic...
Doctor attacked
09 Jun, 2026

Doctor attacked

AN act of reprehensible violence has shaken the medical community. On Saturday, an employee of the Provincial Civil...
AJK flare-up
Updated 09 Jun, 2026

AJK flare-up

The situation started deteriorating after a trader affiliated with the JAAC was reportedly shot in an altercation with law-enforcers.
Fault lines
09 Jun, 2026

Fault lines

THE April 8 ceasefire that halted hostilities between Israel and Iran has encountered its most serious test yet....