Police arrests nine armed men after clashes in Iraq’s Baghdad
Shafaq News– Baghdad
Iraqi authorities arrested nine armed individuals who claimed affiliation with Saraya Al-Salam, the armed wing of Iraq’s Patriotic Shiite Movement (PSM) led by Muqtada Al-Sadr, following an assault at a fuel station in Baghdad, the Ministry of Interior said on Wednesday.
According to a statement, Federal Police force moved immediately after receiving a report of the attack, adding that the arrest operation encountered “armed resistance” from the suspects.
The group has not yet commented on the incident or the suspects’ claims.
Last month, Al-Sadr ordered a six-month freeze of Saraya Al-Salam’s activities and the closure of its offices, citing “ongoing misconduct.”
The group was formed in 2014 to protect Shiite holy sites amid the ISIS offensive, drawing largely from former members of the Mahdi Army, which fought US forces in Iraq after 2003.
