A high-ranking pro-Iranian militia commander has been fatally shot dead by unidentified gunmen in Iraq.
Taleb Abbas Ali al-Saedi, a top leader of the Popular Mobilization Forces, was killed in Karbala, a city about 62 miles southwest of Baghdad.
Igbere TV gathered that the Popular Mobilization Forces is an umbrella organization of about 40 paramilitary groups mostly associated with Iran-backed Shiite militias. The organization is one of the major forces fighting ISIS in Iraq and alongside troops in Syria loyal to President Bashar al-Assad.
Local media reported that al-Saedi was ‘assassinated’ by unknown gunmen, but no further details about the shooters were immediately available.
Al-Saedi was the commander of the Karbala Brigade, a unit within the Iran-backed Shiite PMF umbrella group.
U.S. Central Command, which oversees American military activity in the Middle East, is yet to respond inquiries about the shooting.
