Shafaq News/ The Commander of al-Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization Forces-PMF) in al-Anbar, Major-General Ali al-Maliki, said on Saturday that the reinstatement of the PMF Operations Commander in the Governorate, Qassem Musleh, is a prerogative of the PMF Commission.
Al-Maliki told Shafaq News Agency, "the matter [Musleh's reinstatement] is up to the command in the Commission. Giving statements on it is unacceptable."
"So for, there are no indicators toward dismissing him," he added.
"It is not in my hand. I am the PMF Commander in al-Anbar. The command of the PMF operations in the west of al-Anbar is a term of reference of the Commission."
Tension culminated in Baghdad between the PMF and the Iraqi Government when the latter apprehended Musleh for charges related to terrorism.
Iraqi authorities said that Musleh was held in the headquarters of the Baghdad Joint Operations Command. However, a source revealed to Shafaq News Agency that he has been serving a pseudo-house arrest in the residence of al-Fayad, where a joint committee of the PMF security department and the Iraqi government was interrogating him.
Musleh was the commander of "al-Tofouf brigade", a PMF brigade affiliated with the Imam Hussein Shrine. However, following internal disputes in the paramilitary group, he left and took over the PMF Operations Command in al-Anbar.
