Iraq's prosecution to interrogate ex-PM Mustafa al-Kadhimi over Soleimani assassination

Iraq’s public prosecution office has ordered an investigation into former Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi in a probe into the US strike that killed Qasem Soleimani, the former head of Iran's Quds Force and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, deputy chief of Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) at Baghdad's International Airport on 3 January 2020. 

The probe came in response to a legal case raised by Hossein Monis, an Iraqi lawmaker and head of Huqooq Movement, the political wing of Kataib Hezbollah - an Iran-backed militia in Iraq. 

تحريك شكوى ضد #مصطفى_الكاظمي بحادثة المطار pic.twitter.com/snCcXAWgRI

— ⚖️🇮🇶المحامي جاسم محمد جواد⚖️ (@Jasemmuhamed32) April 30, 2023

 Al-Kadhimi served as Iraq's prime minister from May 2020 until October 2022. He was the head of Iraq's intelligence when former US President Donald Trump ordered the airstrike that killed the two high-profile targets.   

Monis accused Kadhimi of "negligence" while serving as chief of Iraq's intelligence, and alleged that his oversight led to the killing of Soleimani, Muhandis and other Iranians. 

Late on Sunday several Iraqi media outlets and social media users published a document issued by Iraq’s public prosecution and sent to the country’s central investigation court. The document was dated 4 April and stipulated that the court should take legal action against Kadhimi.  

 Kadhimi has yet to announce whether he will attend the court for questioning.

In October Iraqi lawmakers from various parties in the pro-Iran Coordination Framework submitted official requests to the public prosecutor asking that Kadhimi is banned from travelling out of the country to help investigate alleged corruption.

Kadhimi, however, visited Iran in February and met with Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi, Parliament Speaker Mohammed Baqer Qalibaf, Foreign Minister Hussein Amir-Abdullahian.   

Kadhimi, also a former journalist, became prime minister of Iraq in May 2020.

His appointment angered some pro-Iran groups, who said he was too US-friendly. He faced an assassination attempt in November when three rockets were fired at his home in Baghdad's Green Zone. Pro-Iran militias were accused of responsibility at the time. He stayed as caretaker prime minister after the elections in October 2021.