Violent attack on Samarra school leaves principal and assistant principal injured

SALAH AL-DIN — Security forces have arrested three individuals involved in an attack on Al-Qahira Middle School for Boys in central Samarra, Salah Al-Din Governorate, on Wednesday, injuring both the principal and assistant principal.

The incident, which escalated from a dispute between the assistant principal’s son and another student, involved knives, sticks, and glass bottles, causing widespread panic among students and staff. The violence occurred when eight individuals, including the student’s father, arrived at the school to file a complaint, leading to a confrontation with the assistant principal.

The school’s principal, Muthanna Khudair Abbas, intervened in an attempt to calm the situation but was injured in the process. Both administrators sustained minor cuts and bruises, while the school property was significantly damaged.

“We have arrested three of the eight individuals involved in the attack and are continuing the search for the remaining five suspects,” a senior security official told 964media. “The city’s police force is committed to ensuring the safety of educational institutions and their staff.”

Abbas urged authorities to take swift action in response to the attack. “Our school, staff, and students were subjected to humiliation and fear. We demand justice for the terror inflicted on the students and teachers, as well as for the damage done to our school,” he told 964media.

A day earlier, the principal of Al-Balag Al-Mubeen Boys High School in Diwaniyah’s Suniyah district was assaulted by a parent, who was later arrested after attacking the principal over his refusal to enrol the man’s son, citing the family’s residence outside the school’s catchment area.

These violent confrontations come just four days into the start of the new academic year, when more than 12 million students across Iraq returned to classrooms.