Iranian militias are vehemently opposed to any American troop presence in Iraq and carry out consistent rocket and drone attacks targeting U.S. military and diplomatic sites in Baghdad’s Green Zone on a near regular basis.
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Iraqi activist Ihab Al Wazni on Sunday became the latest victim in a wave of targeted killings in the country, despite repeated calls for the government to bring perpetrators to justice.
Dozens of activists, journalists and members of civil society groups have been assassinated, kidnapped and
threatened since the start of widespread protests nearly two years ago.
The
protest movement, which grew rapidly in October 2019, has called for more employment opportunities, better public services and an end to corruption.
Al Wazni, known as the “
Hero of Karbala”, was killed by
gunmen near his home in the southern holy city, in the early hours of Sunday.
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Members of a “death squad” that killed several Iraqi activists were arrested on Monday, Prime Minister Mustafa Al Kadhimi said, as the government attempts to clamp down on assassinations.
The government has been under pressure to find and punish the killers of activists calling for reforms, with public concern mounting over the frequency of these attacks. The death squad who terrorised our people in Basra, and killed innocents, are now in the hands of our heroic forces, on their way to a fair trial, Mr Al Kadhimi said on Twitter.
The identity of the group was not made public.