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Safaa al-Mashhadani, a member of the Baghdad Provincial Council and parliamentary candidate for the Siyada (Sovereignty) Alliance, was assassinated early Wednesday in the Tarmiyah area north of the capital.
According to the Baghdad Operations Command, a sticky bomb had been planted beneath al-Mashhadani’s vehicle, killing him and injuring four others.
It marks the first political assassination ahead of the parliamentary elections scheduled for November, signaling a concerning escalation in security tensions before the legislative vote.
The Siyada (Sovereignty) Alliance, one of Iraq’s largest Sunni Arab political blocs, is led by Khamis al-Khanjar and Parliament Speaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani.
Iraq’s Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani ordered the formation of a joint forensic task force and a high-level investigative committee to examine the killing of an election candidate.
Videos shared by local platforms showed flames rising from the candidate’s vehicle, while sources confirmed that he had been returning from a party meeting.
Public and political reactions in Iraq leaned toward the assumption of a “political assassination” linked to power and influence struggles.
The assassination comes amid intensifying competition between Sunni and Shia alliances within and beyond mixed areas.
Tarmiyah, al-Mashhadani’s hometown, is an agricultural town that forms part of Baghdad’s security belt.
In recent years, it has seen the influx of armed groups—now suspected of involvement in al-Mashhadani’s assassination.
Al-Mashhadani had taken a firm stance on ending the presence of armed factions in the Tarmiyah district and consistently rejected accusations by these groups, labeling the area as a “terrorist stronghold.”
Some observers believe the incident will accelerate calls to increase security protection for candidates and implement strict monitoring mechanisms to ensure that those leading election campaigns are not easy targets for armed groups or vested interests.
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