Iraqi judiciary releases PMU leader, citing lack of evidence

Shelly Kittleson

Wasni protest — Iraqi security forces deploy during a demonstration in Tahrir Square in Baghdad on May 25, 2021, to demand accountability for a recent wave of killings targeting activists. The placard depicts renowned anti-government activist Ehab al-Wazni, who was shot dead in an ambush earlier in the month. Wazni's family said PMU commander Qassim Musleh had sought Wazni's death, but Musleh was released from custody for lack of evidence on June 9, 2021. — AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP via Getty Images

Qassim Musleh, the commander of the Shiite-led Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) for Iraq’s western Anbar region, was released June 9 after being held for almost two weeks under the country’s antiterrorism law.

Later in the day, the commander of the Quds Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Ismail Ghaani, arrived in Baghdad for talks of an unspecified nature. In the evening, three rockets hit the Balad air base, according to the Iraqi Security Media Cell.

The base was previously used by US-led international coalition forces that left as part of a gradual withdrawal but still hosts foreign contractors providing aircraft maintenance.

Musleh had been accused of involvement in activists’ murders in his home city of Karbala as well as corruption.

Iraqi judiciary releases PMU leader, citing lack of evidence

The commander of an Iraqi Popular Mobilization Unit accused of involvement in murder was released June 9 after the court said it failed to find sufficient evidence.

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