Asaib Ahl Al-Haq calls for rule of law after PSM official killing
Shafaq News– Maysan
Qais Al-Khazali, secretary-general of Asaib Ahl Al-Haq, warned on Saturday of “ongoing attempts” to incite sedition in Iraq’s southern Maysan province, following the killing of a senior member of the Patriotic Shiite Movement (PSM) led by Muqtada Al-Sadr.
Asaib Ahl Al-Haq operates within the armed factions known as the Islamic Resistance of Iraq, while Al-Sadr and his movement stand outside this grouping, with Saraya Al-Salam serving as the PMS's armed wing, operating separately. Al-Sadr has positioned himself as an Iraqi nationalist and has repeatedly argued that weapons should remain exclusively under state control.
In a statement addressed to residents of Maysan, Al-Khazali warned against exploiting security incidents to fuel unrest, stressing the necessity of resorting to the law in all issues. He called on security forces to carry out their duties against criminals, while declaring that Asaib Ahl Al-Haq “disavows anyone who becomes involved in acts that threaten civil peace or endanger people’s lives.”
Al-Khazali pointed to earlier violence in the province, including the assassination of Wissam Al-Alawi, who headed Asaib Ahl Al-Haq’s office in Maysan, followed by the killing of his two brothers. He described the attacks as “brutal” and said his movement “had chosen to pursue those cases through the judiciary to deny provocateurs the chance to exploit them.”
The warning followed the killing of Hussein Al-Allaq, known as “al-Dalij,” who was shot dead by unidentified gunmen on Friday in central Amarah, Maysan province. The killing triggered overnight unrest, during which armed supporters of Saraya Al-Salam fired shots into the air and set fire to the office of Maysan Provincial Council Chairman Mustafa Daeer, without escalating into armed clashes with Asaib Ahl Al-Haq.
Al-Sadr later accused unnamed “brazen militias” of assassinating Al-Allaq and urged his supporters not to be dragged into what he described as sedition.
Earlier, a security source told Shafaq News that Iraqi courts had issued arrest warrants against Al-Allaq in multiple cases, including allegations linking him to the killing of Wissam Al-Alawi and his brother several years ago.
