Iranian-backed militias stage armed protest at Baghdad's Green Zone after commander's arrest
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi on Wednesday described Iranian-backed militias' demonstration surrounding, and armed entry into, Baghdad's fortified Green Zone that day as a "serious violation of the Iraqi constitution," hours after one of the group's leaders was arrested by government forces in connection with rocket attacks on bases housing US troops.
"A special Iraqi security force, by order of the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, executed a judicial arrest warrant against one of the accused this morning, according to Article 4 of the law and based on complaints against him," read a statement released by the prime minister, also the head of the Middle Eastern nation's military.
"An investigative committee has been formed from the Joint Operations Command, Interior Intelligence, Military Intelligence, National Security and Popular Mobilization Security," Kadhimi continued, "to investigate the accusations against him as he is now in the custody of the Joint Operations Command until the investigation is completed."
Early that morning, elite forces arrested Qassim Musleh, a commander of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), according to a judicial warrant that circulated on social media shortly afterward.
He commands PMF militias in western Anbar province and is the leader of one of its groups, known as the "al-Tawf Brigade."
The arrest of Musleh, from the province of Karbala, enraged both PMF leaders and rank-and-file soldiers, who quickly gathered at entrances of the Green Zone, also called the International Zone, a group of highly-guarded central Baghdad neighborhoods where many government buildings and foreign missions are located.
The militiamen set up improvised checkpoints outside the entrances and then entered the compound, reportedly brandishing arms while surrounding high-level government buildings and even Kadhimi's residence.
According to Reuters, Musleh was arrested for his involvement in several violent incidents within Iraq's borders, including multiple recent rocket attacks on bases that host US and other international forces.
Read More: US-led coalition investigates latest rocket attack on western Iraqi military base
Security officials routinely announce that terrorism arrests have been made "according to Article 4" of Iraq's Counter Terrorism Law in public statements, as Kadhimi did in this case, although the provision only addresses sentencing guidelines.
He pointed out that "the armed manifestations that occurred by armed groups are a grave violation of the Iraqi constitution and the laws in force, and we directed an immediate investigation into these moves according to the law."
The Prime Minister stressed that "protecting the security of the homeland and not exposing the security of our people to adventures at this historical stage is a responsibility that rests on the shoulders of the government, security and military forces, parties and political currents," calling on everyone to give priority to the interests of the country.
The arrest comes just one day after Iraqis poured into the streets of the capital by the thousands, demanding accountability for the targeted killings of dozens of activists and demonstrators taking part in a popular anti-corruption protest movement that began in October 2019.
Kadhimi, whose resignation is among the demonstrators' demands, then said that he had launched a "transparent" investigation into the killings of two young men killed by security forces in Tuesday's protest.
In June 2020, forces from Iraq's Counter Terrorism Service raided a PMF headquarters in southern Baghdad following a spike in rocket attacks widely blamed on the militias targeting military bases, diplomatic missions, and Baghdad International Airport.
Read More: Elite Iraqi force raids base of Iran-aligned militia in Baghdad
Although more than a dozen PMF fighters were arrested in the operation, most of them were released later that day.
Editing by John J. Catherine