Nationalist Members seem to be targeted
Hours ago an explosion ripped through the cafeteria attached to the Iraq Parliament killing at least two members of Parliament and injuring fifteen others.
One of the members killed is Mohammed Awad, a nationalist who is part of the National Dialogue Front, a group wanting one Iraq with a strong central government, an end of the U.S. occupation and any other foreign intervention. They are for re-instating former Iraqi Army soldiers to secure Iraq. They are against privatizing Iraq's oil and decentralizing the oil revenue distribution.
One of the injured is Osama al-Nujafii who appeared with other members of the Iraq Parliament in a recent live video conference between Members of the U.S. Congress and Members of the Iraq Parliament. A woman member of Parliament was injured and it is feared to be Dr. Nada Ibrahim an active member of the National Salvation Front.
Another injured Dr. Salman Al-Jumaily, Member of Iraq Council of Representatives (Parliament), part of the Iraq Accord Front (Sunni) Twaffk, also a nationalist. Salman was one of the Members of Parliament that met with a U.S. Peace Delegation last August. (Go to this link for more info.)
Salman Al-Jumaily Injured
In a very suspicious coincidence everyone killed or injured is part of the nationalist movement who are against the Maliki Government. The Parliament was about to debate the newly proposed Oil Law which these members planned to oppose.
Update1: :11:54 am 4/12/07
(Please see as they happen updates also posted in the comment section below.)
Mr. Dhafir al-Ani, a nationalist MP from the Accord Front and a strong opponent to the oil law, has severely wounded and he's in critical condition.
Update 2: 12:50 pm 4/12/07
Sources say they do not think Nada Ibrahin was injured.
Update 3: 1:10 pm 4/17/07
The number of people killed in the Iraqi parliament explosion reached eight.
---Written in collaboration with Raed Jarrar and Jennifer Hicks