Hashd al-Shaabi ends siege on Green Zone in Baghdad

By Haydar Karaalp

BAGHDAD (AA) - The Hashd al-Shaabi, or Popular Mobilization, militia on Wednesday announced the end of its siege on Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone that hosts foreign diplomatic missions.

Earlier Wednesday, the militia used military vehicles and took control of entrances and exits to the area.

The Iraqi group shared footage from the siege on social media and demanded the release of senior commander Qasim Muslih.

Muslih was arrested in Baghdad for his involvement in several terror attacks. The Iraqi Supreme Judicial Council also decided to arrest Muslih for "terror crimes."

Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi also announced on Wednesday that Muslih's interrogation at Joint Operations Command located in Green Zone is ongoing.

Hashd al-Shaabi was formally incorporated into the Iraqi army in 2017 after being established in 2014 with the purpose of fighting the Daesh/ISIS terror group.

The mostly Iranian-aligned group is accused of targeting US troops and bases in Iraq.