Charges of rocket launch from Party HQ diversion tactic – Islamic Party

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: Accusations directed against the Iraqi Islamic Party charging them of having been behind the launching of a rocket from Baghdad’s Amiriya district on Tuesday are “an attempt to cover up the security failure and place blame on the Party for the attack against the Iraqi Parliament,” party member of the Iraqi Islamic Party, Bahaddin al-Naqshabandy has said on Tuesday. “The timing of the announcement by Baghdad Operations Command in reference to the erroneous report about an explosion at the headquarters of  the Iraqi Islamic Parfty in Amiriya district, did not take place by chance.It includes an attempt to deter attention from the attack against the Parliament, along with having been an outragous attempt to stick the charge to the Islamic Party,” Naqshabandy said in a statement, received by IraqiNews.com news agency. “The site where the explosion took place did not belong to the Islamic Party.Those who were detained at the site had no relationship with the Party and were not it’s  members,” he said. Baghdad Operations Command should “correct the aforementioned mistake and avoid repeating it in the future, or else the Party will let it’s opinions be known through the courts,” Bahaddin warned. The semi-official al-Iraqiya TV Satellite Channel had quoted Baghdad Operations Command as charging that one of the activists in the Iraqi Islamic Party headquarters in northeast Baghdad’s Amiriya district, were injured while trying to launch a rocket, amputating one of his hands.The statement further reported that it another rocket was discovered, ready to be launched, along with other explosive materials that were found in the said headquarters. The building of the Iraqi Parliament had been the target of an attack on Monday evening, during the questioning of Baghdad’s Lord-Mayor.Legislatures were spotted leaving the session, which led, according the Baghdad Operations Command‘s spokesman, to the death one person and wounding of 2 others.Media and Parliament sources however, pointed out that the attack had been caused by a mortar shell that fell close to the building, wounding the Legislature for the Kurdistan Alliance, Moayad Tayib. For further reading see ‘The Iraqi Parliament hit by explosion.’ SKH (TI)/SR 155