The Iraqi government is having a hard time reigning in the well-financed and highly trained units
The arrest by Iraqi security forces of a top official of an Iran-backed militia on suspicion of coordinating the murder of a leading pro-democracy activist risks a major showdown between his powerful group and the government.
Qasem Muslah, a leader in the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) who was arrested on Wednesday, is accused of ordering the killing of Ihab al-Wazni on May 9, as well as activist Fahim al-Taie in December 2019.
Wazni had for many years criticized Iraqi armed groups and Iran’s influence in the country, and led protests in Karbala, where pro-Tehran armed groups have great influence.
Muslah was detained under the country’s anti-terrorism law, the military said.
He is the Anbar province head of the Hashd al-Shaabi paramilitary units, made up mostly of Shia militias that is operating now with the support of the Iraqi government.
Iran has men everywhere in the country, and they use them to further their own agenda
Freelance Iraqi journalist Hashem Abdel Saheb told The Media Line that the central government is having a hard time reigning in these well-financed and highly trained units.
“You have to look who is behind this group to know why?” Abdel Saheb asked, referring to the government’s inability to control the group. “They are sponsored by Iran, they operate with impunity and no one can stand in their way.”
Anti-government protests erupted in late 2019 in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, and in the south of the country to express citizens’ anger at the rampant corruption, high unemployment, terrible public services and foreign interference.
Since then, more than 70 activists have been the targets of killings, attempted murders and kidnapping.
In a display of force after the arrest on Wednesday, dozens of gunmen briefly drove vehicles through the streets of the heavily fortified Green Zone in the capital, where foreign embassies and government buildings are based.
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However, Iraqi media reported that the PMF official was arrested over attacks on a military base hosting US forces in Iraq.
Powerful paramilitary units affiliated with Iran in Iraq have launched numerous rocket attacks against US interests in the country.
Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi issued a statement on Wednesday saying that the security forces had taken someone into custody after an arrest warrant was issued against him in accordance with the anti-terrorism act and based on complaints filed against him. The arrested person was not named in the statement.
Iraqi observers say that as tension rises between Washington and Tehran, attacks on the US presence in Iraq increases. The United States has warned that the growing Iranian influence in the region is the source of instability, and it views it as the biggest threat to security in the Middle East.
“Iran uses these attacks to exert pressure on the Americans during negotiations in Vienna about the nuclear deal,” Iraqi political analyst Haider Al-Saedi told The Media Line.
Despite the high number of violent attacks on activists, Iraqi officials have consistently failed to publicly identify or charge the attackers in the killings.
Activists accuse the government of knowing the identity of the perpetrators, but of being afraid to publicly charge them out of fear of retribution for pointing the finger at the Iran-linked armed militia.
“Iran has men everywhere in the country, and they use them to further their own agenda,” said Al-Saedi.
Thousands of people demonstrated in Baghdad on Tuesday demanding justice over the deadly attacks on activists and journalists.
Two protesters were killed and more than 150 were wounded.