Leader of Iraq’s Hezbollah assassinated in Basra

By Hussein al-Amir

BAGHDAD

The leader of Iraq’s Hezbollah movement was assassinated Wednesday night in the southern Basra province, according to a local police source.

"Bassem al-Mousawi, secretary-general of [Iraq’s] Hezbollah, was killed late yesterday when unidentified assailants opened fire on his car in Basra province’s Al-Hayyaniya district," Basra Police Major Jumaa al-Hamrani told Anadolu Agency.

An associate of al-Mousawi was injured in the attack, after which the gunmen managed to flee the scene, al-Hamrani said.

No group has yet has claimed responsibility for the assassination.

Iraq’s Hezbollah (not to be confused with the Lebanese Shia movement of the same name) is a faction within the Hashd al-Shaabi, an umbrella of pro-government -- mainly Shia -- fighting groups.

Established in 2014 with the express purpose of fighting the Daesh terrorist group, the Hashd al-Shaabi is estimated to include more than 150,000 fighters.

Late last year, the Hashd al-Shaabi was formally incorporated into the Iraqi armed forces and continues to support an ongoing army campaign aimed at eliminating Daesh’s presence