Iraqi security forces on Wednesday arrested militia commander Qasim Muslih, the military said, in a move that security sources said was linked to attacks on a base that hosts U.S. forces.
Muslih was arrested at dawn and is being questioned on anti-terrorism charges, a military statement said, without giving further details.
Two security sources told Reuters the militia chief was arrested in Baghdad for involvement in several attacks including recent assaults on Ain al-Asad airbase, where the U.S. and other international forces are housed.
Muslih is the Anbar province head of the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF), a grouping of mostly Shi’ite militias backed by Iran, which the United States regards as the biggest threat to security in the Middle East.