Senior Iraqi militia commander killed by sniper in Kirkuk

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The senior commander of a Hashd al-Shaabi militia was killed by a sniper in northwestern Kirkuk province, Iraqi security said on Wednesday.

A security source told Kurdistan 24 on condition of anonymity that Sultan Yassin al-Hamdani, the commander of the Hashd al-Shaabi’s (PMF) 56th Brigade, was hit by unexpected sniper fire in the vicinity of the disputed town of Dibis.

The source did not elaborate further about the incident, and there was no immediate claim of responsibility by any armed group or organization.

The 56th brigade is composed mostly of Sunni fighters but is required to follow orders of the Hashd al-Shaabi general command, which has authority over the many militias that make up the group. They are an official part of Iraq's security apparatus and played a key role in the military defeat of Islamic State (IS) militants in the country, though many of the militias receive direct support from Iran.

Violent activities of the Islamic State (IS) have seen an increase in the province in recent months, something Kurdish officials have repeatedly warned of as remnants of its membership regroup from their military defeat to wage an insurgency.

Also on Wednesday, local news outlets reported another PMF commander being killed in “mysterious circumstances” in the neighborhood of Neda, south of Kirkuk. The commander’s name is Najim Hadi and was reported to have been responsible for a security checkpoint in the area, but there was no confirmation from the PMF of circumstances surrounding the incident.

Hadi was a member of Asaib Ahl al-Haq, one of the most powerful Shia militias within the PMF. On Monday, the group's leader gave a provocative speech in which he said that Kirkuk and other areas in northern Iraq should no longer be called "disputed territories" but were instead unquestionably a part of Iraq.

A security source from Kirkuk told also Kurdistan 24 on Wednesday that there were fierce clashes between the PMF and IS in the southwestern part of the province.

He stated that fighting began late Tuesday on the road linking Hawija to Riyadh, areas that are populated predominantly by Sunni Arabs.

The clashes come at a time that multiple units of Iraqi forces have been deployed near Hawija to secure the region as the country is about to hold national legislative elections on Saturday.

Editing by John J. Catherine