Iraq finance minister survives bomb attack

Iraqi Finance Minister Rafa al-Essawi has escaped an assassination attempt after his convoy was struck by a roadside bomb.

The bomb went off at around 7:00 pm local time (1600 GMT) on Sunday as Essawi’s convoy had been travelling between the cities of Fallujah, located roughly 69 kilometers (43 miles) west of Baghdad and Abu Ghraib, situated 32 kilometers (20 miles) west of Baghdad, AFP reported.

Two security officials speaking on condition of anonymity, said no one in the entourage was harmed but some vehicles were damaged.

Bombings and shootings have recently intensified across Iraq.

On Sunday, militants threw hand grenades at an army checkpoint east of the city of Samarra, situated 125 kilometers (78 miles) north of Baghdad, before they opened fire using machine guns.

Three Iraqi soldiers were killed in the attack. No group has claimed responsibility for the act of terror.

On December 31, over 20 people, including children, were killed and 80 others injured in a wave of attacks in several cities and towns in the country.

Also on December 24, 2012, over 45 people were killed and over 110 others wounded in similar attacks targeting both security guards and civilians across the country, marking the deadliest day in Iraq since November 29, 2012, when at least 50 people lost their lives.

The Iraqi government has stepped up efforts to increase security across the country over the past few months.