THREAD #Soleimani is rightfully stealing headlines, but for Iraq the killing of Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis alone has big ramifications. This is him last year at an event celebrating the anniversary of formation of (mostly) Shiite paramilitary forces of the Popular Mobilisation in Iraq 
At the event, marking 5 yrs since Iraqi cleric Sistani urged Iraqis to rise up against ISIS (mostly Shi'ites responded), Iraq's top brass - military and paramilitary - were all there. But the man whose ear everyone wanted to bend, and whom they swarmed, was #Muhandis
I spoke to a senior Iraqi politician who was concerned about Muhandis's rise, saw him as a potential to enter the political field, and who like others was concerned about the increasing economic and social activities of the PMF (which Reuters has reported on extensively) #iraq
Like with the demise of Soleimani, #Muhandis's death gets rid of a fanatically anti-American commander, but also one who sought to consolidate more centralised control over the PMF Shi'ite militia groups. What this means for stability in Iraq not clear yet - but likely not good
Muhandis's own group, Kataib Hezbollah (which harassed US bases with missiles, was bombed, then tried to storm the US Baghdad embassy), will be baying for blood. With Muhandis and Soleimani out of the picture, it could be harder to calibrate their response #soleimani #muhandis
In summary: unclear consequences of killing Muhandis, but they will not include greater stability or security in Iraq, for Iraqis, Americans or anyone else ENDS
