Tensions mounted in Iraq s capital on Wednesday after the arrest of a militia commander on terrorism charges, prompting a dangerous showdown by the detainee s paramilitary supporters and the Iraqi government.
May 27, 2021 Share
Tensions mounted in Iraq’s capital on Wednesday after the arrest of a militia commander on terrorism charges, prompting a dangerous showdown by the detainee’s paramilitary supporters and the Iraqi government.
The confrontation began after Iraqi security forces arrested at dawn militia leader Qassim Mahmoud Musleh based on a judicial investigation and arrest warrant on terrorism charges, Iraq’s military said in a statement. The statement said he was being questioned by a joint investigative committee.
Musleh is the head of the Popular Mobilization Forces in Anbar province. The PMF is a state-sanctioned group comprised of an array of militias formed to defeat the Islamic State group in 2014. Among the most powerful members of the group are Iran-backed Shiite militia groups.
Musleh is the head of the Popular Mobilization Forces in Anbar province. The PMF is a state-sanctioned group comprised of an array of militias formed to defeat the Islamic State group in 2014. Among the most powerful members of the group are Iran-backed Shiite militia groups.
Arrest of an Iraqi PMU commander puts militias on notice Amid protests demanding justice after a series of assassinations, Iraqi security forces have arrested the commander of one prominent militant faction. Members of the Iraqi Counter-terrorism Service are deployed in the streets of the capital Baghdad on March 27, 2021. - AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP via Getty Images
May 27, 2021
BAGHDAD A day after a major protest demanding greater accountability in Iraq, especially as concerns the unsolved murders of several activists, the commander of a faction affiliated with the Popular Mobilization Units was arrested in a move that was followed by allied factions entering Baghdad’s Green Zone in a show of force.
Arrest of pro-Iran militia commander stirs up tensions in Iraq
“Any arrest case should run its course, as goes for any Iraqi,” tweeted UN Special Representative to Iraq Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert.
Thursday 27/05/2021
Popular Mobilization Forces, PMF, patrol outside the heavily fortified Green Zone, where the Prime Minister’s headquarters is located in Baghdad, May 26, 2021. (AP)
BAGHDAD – Tensions mounted in Iraq’s capital on Wednesday after the arrest of a militia commander on terrorism charges, prompting a dangerous showdown by the detainee’s paramilitary supporters and the Iraqi government.
The confrontation began after Iraqi security forces arrested at dawn militia leader Qassim Mahmoud Musleh based on a judicial investigation and arrest warrant on terrorism charges, Iraq’s military said in a statement. The statement said he was being questioned by a joint investigative committee.