Anti-corruption committee chairman survives attempt in Thi-Qar

THI-QAR / IraqiNews.com: The chairman of the anti-corruption committee in the Thi-Qar provincial council escaped an attempt on his life on Sunday, according to the first deputy governor. “Ali Attiya Shajar was intercepted by two gunmen who went out of a pickup truck parked on the road linking al-Fajr city (140 km) north of Nasseriya, to Qalaat Sokkar, (100 km) north of Nasseriya, while he was returning home in al-Fajr,” Hassan Laayous told IraqiNews.com news agency. “Shajar and his escorts survived unscathed although his vehicle was damaged severely,” he said, adding the incident will be investigated. Shajr is one of the seven members of the Sadrist Movement, or Iraqis loyal to Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sadr, at the Thi-Qar provincial council’s 31 members. He chairs the council’s anti-corruption committee, which reported only one corruption case regarding the province’s education department. Nasseriya, the capital city of Thi-Qar province, lies 380 km south of Baghdad. AmR (P)/SR 1