Baghdad shuts Hashd al-Shaabi outposts: Security source

By Ali Jawad

BAGHDAD (AA) - Iraqi security forces have closed four “unauthorized” Hashd al-Shaabi outposts and detained a number of its members, according to a local security source.

“Security forces late Thursday night raided four outposts thought to be linked to the Hashd al-Shaabi in downtown Baghdad’s Karrada district,” the source told Anadolu Agency on Friday on condition of anonymity.

According to the same source, the operation also saw the arrest of “several” Hashd al-Shaabi members.

The Iraqi Interior Ministry, for its part, has yet to officially comment on the alleged incident.

A largely Shia fighting force, the Hashd al-Shaabi was established in 2014 to fight the Daesh terrorist group, which had overrun much of northern and western Iraq earlier the same year.

In 2017, the Hashd al-Shaabi was formally incorporated into the Iraqi armed forces.