Today @Mu_AlSadr and/or his supporters (we won’t know if he’ll be there in person until we know) are holding a mass Friday prayer in Baghdad. I’ll be there, all going well, and able to tell you if Sadr himself shows up, and how big it is. 1/ The gathering is seen as a show of strength and a message to parties (especially Iran-aligned Shi’ite groups) trying to form a govt that Sadr and his masses of supporters intend to hold them to account - after he decided he’s not going to be part of parliament 2/

#IRAQ another more final blow to anti government protest camps in Iraq, this time in Nassiriya, an important city and home to a lot of activists 1/ reut.rs/2KE2vJi Haboubi square and the centre of Nassiriya a year ago felt genuinely under the control of pro-democracy protesters. Police mostly steered clear and activists searched people going in 2/

#Iraq thread: Reuters revealed last night that Iraq is to planning give a senior army officer post to Abu Zainab al-Lami, a militia commander with ties to Iran whom ⁦@USTreasury⁩ sanctioned for ordering protester killings last year 1/ reut.rs/3legtya Lami is currently in Egypt attending training reserved normally for army officers and is being given the rank of Maj Gen (Liwa), our sources said, and a defence ministry document shows 2/

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

THREAD/ A few weeks ago, a source close to Iraqi militias told me this was exactly how Soleimani & Muhandis wanted to "go out"- a brave death at hands of enemies as martyrs. The commanders were hated by some in Iran/Iraq but respected by many #soleimani
reuters.com/article/us-ira… The assassination provides the pretext for an Iran which, under sanctions pressure looks happy to have a distraction, ramp up its attacks against US interests in the region. It can do this in many ways & can have missiles pointed at US bases & US/Gulf oil sites in no time...