World

Officials: Bomb was Iraq PM assassination attempt

December 2, 2011 / 4:34 PM EST / CBS/AP

BAGHDAD - The Baghdad military spokesman says a bombing earlier in the week in the Green Zone was an assassination attempt targeting the prime minister.

Qassim al-Moussawi says Monday's explosion was from a car loaded with explosives that blew up outside an entrance to parliament.

At the time, officials had said they did not know if the explosion was the result of rocket or mortar fire into the Green Zone or whether a bomber managed to get inside.

On Friday, al-Moussawi said a bomber parked the vehicle and intended for it to go off later when al-Maliki went to a parliament session. But the prime minister was not in the area at the time.

Al-Moussawi said their information was based on confessions of suspects but gave no further proof.

This news comes as Vice President Joe Biden officially handed over the U.S. military headquarters in Iraq to the nation on Thursday. CBS News' Jim Axelrod reported from Iraq on the people's sentiment over the U.S. soldiers leaving the country. Barring any complications, all 13,000 U.S. troops currently in Iraq will leave by three weeks from now.

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