(AhlulBayt News Agency) - A high-ranking commander of Iraq’s Hezbollah movement was assassinated 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 said.
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 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 ISIS terrorist group, the Hashd al-Shaabi is estimated to include more than 150,000 fighters.
