In Iraq, Abu Taqwa Al-Saedi, leader of the “Rocket Battalion” within the Harakat al Nujaba group, was killed in a US attack on their Baghdad headquarters.
Al-Saedi’s battalion has been unusually active since the beginning of war in Gaza, operating between Iraqi cities and Syria.
According to a statement issued by the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), which Harakat al Nujaba group is a part of, Al-Saedi also served as the “Deputy Commander of the Operations for the Baghdad Belt,” referring to the agricultural areas surrounding the capital.
The Harakat al Nujaba, close to Tehran and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, lacks parliamentary representation in Iraq but wields significant influence over the government’s coordinating framework.
Al-Saedi, also the commander of the PMF’s 12th Brigade, was targeted by four US drone strikes as his convoy moved in eastern Baghdad’s Palestine Street area on Thursday morning.
The US drone tracked Al-Saedi’s convoy from the Syrian border until it reached Baghdad, executing the operation finally within the security headquarters near the Iraqi Ministry of Interior.
The US military confirmed staging an attack on an armed faction’s headquarters in Baghdad, targeting an individual responsible for attacks against military bases in the country.
Al-Saedi’s full name is Mushtaq Talib Al-Saedi, known by his alias “Abu Taqwa.”
He hails from a modest family residing in “Al-Kamaliya” neighborhood, one of the populous districts to the east of Baghdad.
However, his family roots trace back to Diyala Province in the east of Iraq.
Sources close to Al-Saedi, speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat under the conditions of anonymity, reveal that he was an active member of the Sadr movement led by Muqtada Al-Sadr before being arrested by US forces between 2007 and 2012.
Al-Saedi later broke away from the Sadr movement to join the Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq movement led by Qais Al-Khazali, only to defect again and align himself with Harakat al Nujaba.
Al-Saedi, as per the sources, agreed to a deal proposed by a high-ranking Iraqi official, which included the condition of “defecting from the Sadr movement in exchange for assistance from the Americans in securing his release.”
Since joining the Harakat al Nujaba, Al-Saedi has held pivotal positions directly related to the management and planning of military operations, particularly targeting the military bases occupied by the US-led International Coalition in Iraq and Syria.
