Tehran 7 February _Two commanders of Iraqi cleric Muqtada al-Sadr’s movement have been killed in separate attacks in the span of 24 hours in what appears to be a plot to create division among Iraqi groups.
TEHRAN, Young Journalists Club(YJC)_One of them was Hazim al-Hilfi, a commander of the Saraya al-Salam militant group, who was killed on Thursday when the vehicle carrying him was targeted by unidentified gunmen on the Muhammad al-Qasim road, west of Basra province.
He suffered fatal injuries and died on the spot, local security sources said. They quoted a Sadr movement's media official in Basra, Saad al-Maliki, as saying that Halfi was one of the leaders of the Peace Corps.
His assassination came less than 24 hours after Abu-Muqada al-Azirjawi, another top commander of the Saraya group, was seriously wounded on Tuesday night after unknown assailants riding motorcycles opened fire on him near his house in Abou Roummaneh district of Maysan governorate.
He later died of his injuries in hospital, Iraqi media reported.
There are speculations that the assassinations are carried out by foreign intelligence services with the aim of pinning the blame on rival Iraqi groups, and reignite a civil war in the volatile country.
Your Comment