Iraq’s Nineveh governor survives terrorist attack

Atheel al-Nujaifi, governor of Iraq’s Nineveh province and the parliament speaker’s brother, has survived the third attempt on his life this month, officials said.

Two roadside bombs exploded near Nujaifi’s convoy in Nineveh’s capital, Mosul, on Monday, wounding two provincial councilors but leaving the governor unharmed, a police major and a hospital employee said.

There have now been at least six attempts to kill Nujaifi in less than a year.

Nujaifi, brother of parliament speaker Osama al-Nujaifi, is in his second term as governor of Nineveh, where militants have a major presence and carry out near-daily attacks.

Iraq is suffering its worst unrest in years and militants are targeting both civilians and security forces.

Militants also extort money from business owners in Mosul, helping to fund their activities in Iraq and neighboring Syria.

Iraq has been hit by a year-long surge in violence that has reached levels not seen since 2008.

More than 630 people have been killed in attacks and clashes since the beginning of the month, and over 1,600 since January 1, according to figures based on security and medical sources.