Commander in Iran-backed PMF killed in central Iraq explosion

Iraqi security sources reported late on Sunday that a military commander of the Popular Mobilisation Forces was killed by an explosive device in a central Iraq region.

Deputy commander in the Iranian-backed PFM Hassan Karim Hassan was killed after an explosive device blew up in the Al-Owaisat area north of the Babil governorate, according to reports.

A security officer told The New Arab's Arabic-language site Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that dozens of the group's members cut roads in the north of the province and swept the area looking for other explosives.

"The situation is tense in the region, especially that the PMF is the only one responsible for managing the security situation in the north of the province," said the officer, noting that most assassination plots against members in the PMF - known as Hashd Al-Shaabi - are internal.

Sunday night's killing marks the second of its kind in Babil within a month.

In early August, a prominent leader in the militia Sadiq Al-Khashkashi and another man accompanying him were shot and killed by gunmen.

The latest security incidents have sparked fears in the country about possible insecurity during the legislative elections scheduled for October.