Calm Returns to Baghdad after PMF Commander’s Arrest

Calm returned to Baghdad after a long night of unrest as the Iraqi military leadership closed some of the capital’s entrances and positioned units in the streets near the fortified Green Zone.

On Wednesday, the army deployed units with armored vehicles and tanks, after the arrest of Qasem Muslah, Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) operations chief for Anbar province, which sparked widespread reactions.

Muslah was detained based on a judicial investigation and arrest warrant on terrorism charges, Iraq's military said in a statement.

Shortly after the arrest, a number of armed factions loyal to Iran roamed the streets of Baghdad in a failed show of force and to pressure the authorities to release Muslah.

Many protesters welcomed the arrest, given that Muslah was accused of being involved in the assassination of activists in Karbala. He is also accused of missile attacks on Ain al-Asad military base in Anbar.

Muslah has been a controversial figure, especially in Karbala. He was an associate of religious authority, Abdul Mahdi al-Karbalai, and after 2003, he was in charge of the security of the city’s religious shrines.

He was then sacked over accusations of corruption and abuse. He joined the PMF after 2014 and assumed the leadership of the group’s operations in Anbar.

During the cabinet meeting on Wednesday evening, Prime Minister Mustafa Kadhimi described the show of force as a “serious violation of the constitution.”

Former PM Haider al-Abadi warned against such practices, saying that either the state moves to impose order and sovereignty, or it crumbles.

Abadi rejected in a tweet all forms of transgression, bullying, and rebellion, warning that sedition and chaos are disastrous. He stressed that “no one is above the law and accountability.”

Leader of the Iraqis coalition Ammar al-Hakim stressed in reference to Muslah’s arrest that the judicial orders apply to everyone.

Hakim tweeted that “all Iraqis are equal in terms of legal accountability, and the decisions of state institutions must be respected.”

Later Wednesday, the PMF leadership directed its units at the Green Zone to withdraw.

Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Special Representative for Iraq Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert said that any arrest case should run its course, as goes for any Iraqi, adding that nobody should resort to a show of force to get their way.

"Such behavior weakens the Iraqi state and further erodes public trust. State institutions must be respected at all times. Nobody is above the law," she said on Twitter.

The UK Embassy in Baghdad announced its full support for the government's investigation into the actions of armed groups.

“Iraqis have called for a state where those who break the law are held to account. No one should use force and threats to impede criminal investigations. Democracy rests on respect for the rule of law,” announced the embassy in a tweet.

On Thursday, the US National Security Council expressed unwavering support for Kadhimi.

The council tweeted: “We strongly support PM Kadhimi & Govt of Iraq’s commitment to uphold rule of law & pave the way for free & fair elections. Anyone who targets Iraqi citizens must be investigated pursuant to Iraqi laws. We condemn those who seek to undermine Iraq’s stability with acts of violence.”