The Iraqi judiciary issued [10] an arrest warrant for US President Donald Trump on Jan. 7 for the killing of paramilitary commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis last January. Trump is charged under Article 406 of the Iraqi Penal Code, which carries the death sentence in all cases of premeditated murder. Al-Muhandis died in the drone strike Trump ordered to kill Iranian major general Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad. Al-Muhandis was a top leader of Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces, a state-sanctioned umbrella organization that oversees an array of militias formed to fight the Islamic State.
The killing of al-Muhandis and Soleimani strained [13] US-Iraqi relations. Shi'ite lawmakers responded by passing [14] a non-binding resolution calling on the government to oust US troops from the country. Further, groups supported by Iran stepped up attacks [15] on the US presence in Iraq. The attacks prompted Washington to threaten to remove its diplomatic mission in Baghdad.
From Jurist [16], Jan. 8. Used with permission.
Note: In issuing a warrant for Trump's arrest in the slaying of al-Muhandis [17], Iraq joins Iran, which has just requested an Interpol "red notice" for Trump in the death of Soleimani [18].
