Senior police officer killed in southern Iraq

A senior police officer was killed in southern Iraq in the early hours of Thursday, in the latest attack on members of the country’s security forces.

Major Husam al-Olyawi was assassinated in Maysan province at around dawn, the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF), a state-sanctioned umbrella group of militias, said in a statement.

Unidentified gunmen shot al-Olyawi while he was sat in his car in Al-Amarah, the capital of Maysan province, according to media reports.

مقتل حسام العلياوي اخ وسام العلياوي القيادي في العصائب بِهجوم مسلح . pic.twitter.com/ndQxvef0bk

— محمد رشيد المياحي Ⓜ️ (@mem___Rd) February 2, 2022

The officer is the brother of Issam and Wissam al-Olyawi, senior members of the Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq militia who were killed in Al-Amarah in October 2019, the month a popular protest movement began to grip Iraq.

Asa’ib Ahl Al-Haq is part of the PMF.

Assassinations and attempted assassinations are common in Iraq, as tensions continue between rival political factions and militias.

Three other high-ranking officers were killed in March, July and December last year in different cities. Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi escaped an assassination attempt in November after his residence was targeted by drones.

Several activists have also been shot dead since the October 2019 protests. Perpetrators are believed to be linked to pro-Iranian groups, including Asa’ib Ahl Al-Haq.

Many Iranian-backed Shia factions operate in the country, and the Islamic State group has continued to wage a low-level insurgency despite being declared defeated in 2017.