February 16th, 2013
10:12 AM ET

Intelligence academy chief killed in Iraq

The head of Iraq's intelligence academy and two of his bodyguards were killed in an attack Saturday, though conflicting reports emerged as to how the incident unfolded.

Two suicide bombers approached Gen. Aouni Ali's home in Tal Afar, about 40 miles west of Mosul, said Sheikh Salim Qasim, Ali's cousin and a member of the Nineveh provincial council.

Tal Afar is located in Nineveh province, which has a mixed population of Sunni Arabs and Turkmen.

The bombers opened fire on Ali's bodyguards, killing them, Qasim said. Ali rushed outside with another bodyguard. He killed one bomber before being shot and killed.

The remaining bodyguard killed the second attacker, though his explosive vest detonated, Qasim said.

The governor of Mosul, Atheel al-Nujaifi, confirmed the story, but did not provide additional details.

Police officials in Mosul and Baghdad, however, gave a different version of events.

According to police, the bombers' target was actually a senior police official who lives next door to Ali. The police official's bodyguards killed the two suicide bombers without incident, police said.

Ali overheard the gunfire and went to the scene, when one of the bodyguards fired an additional round at the body of one of the bombers, inadvertently setting off the bomb, police said.

Ali, the unnamed police official and the bodyguard were killed in the blast, police said.

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Filed under: Iraq • World
soundoff (19 Responses)
  1. chrissy

    This is too confusing. Just answer who was killed and where for crying out loud.

    February 16, 2013 at 12:40 pm | Report abuse |
    • 1608

      Chrissy so an I. For one how many bodyguards were killed and who lived to give the blow by blow?

      @ @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@; You can read so walk the walk talk to us.

      February 16, 2013 at 4:19 pm | Report abuse |
  2. banasy©

    Good ole' conflicting reports. Gee, that has never happened before.

    February 16, 2013 at 1:37 pm | Report abuse |
  3. GeezerDude

    Intelligence academy chief? More like LOSER CHIEF who was educated on a turnip truck!

    February 16, 2013 at 1:49 pm | Report abuse |
  4. GeezerDude

    *crickets*

    February 16, 2013 at 2:19 pm | Report abuse |
  5. 1608

    cnn hay CNN. Why can't I paste your words to make life easy for me?? What a job someone has.

    February 16, 2013 at 4:38 pm | Report abuse |
  6. Patrick

    Was he a chief or a chef ? Is chefs make some fine gastronomical treats.

    February 16, 2013 at 7:19 pm | Report abuse |
    • banasy©

      Clearly you missed your calling. You should have been the Iraqi intelligence academy chief.

      February 16, 2013 at 7:22 pm | Report abuse |
    • BOMBO

      Reminds me of "Under Siege".

      "This was not the work of a chef."

      February 16, 2013 at 7:41 pm | Report abuse |
  7. empresstrudy

    So were any humans involved?

    February 16, 2013 at 9:59 pm | Report abuse |
  8. chrissy

    What i really find remarkable is that Iraq has an Intelligence Academy and yet they tent to be dumb as posts!

    February 16, 2013 at 11:42 pm | Report abuse |
    • wartever

      dub as tentposts? wart?

      February 17, 2013 at 12:41 am | Report abuse |
  9. David

    intelligence and Irag in the same sentence = fail

    February 17, 2013 at 5:24 am | Report abuse |
  10. Daisy Cutter

    Irag needs to outlaw bombs , that will solve thier problems , make bomb control laws !

    February 17, 2013 at 7:22 am | Report abuse |
  11. HRPuckinfutz

    We sacrificed how many American lives for these animals?

    February 17, 2013 at 8:05 am | Report abuse |
  12. chrissy

    Sorry @ wartever i mean *tend* not tent.

    February 17, 2013 at 3:08 pm | Report abuse |
    • wartever

      Just gigglin at ya, chrissy. I think we all knew what you were trying to say, silly!

      February 17, 2013 at 3:13 pm | Report abuse |
  13. chrissy

    Lol ok but there are some here that just nitpik ya to death over the craziest things.

    February 17, 2013 at 5:26 pm | Report abuse |
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