(Photo : Getty Images/Anna Moneymaker-Pool)
WASHINGTON, DC - AUGUST 20: U.S. President Donald Trump (R) hosts Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi in the Oval Office at the White House August 20, 2020 in Washington, DC. One day before the meeting, Trump announced that he will allow UN Security Council sanctions to 'snap back' into place against Iran, one of Iraq's neighbors and closest allies, even as U.S. troop levels in Iraq and Syria would most likely shrink in the coming months.
Iraq issued a warrant for the arrest of United States President Donald Trump on Thursday as part of a court in Baghdad's investigation into the murder of a top Iraqi paramilitary commander. The deputy head of Iraq's largely pro-Iran Hashed al-Shaabi paramilitary network named Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis died in the same American drone strike that killed Iran general Qasem Soleimani at the Baghdad airport on January 3, 2020.
Arrest Warrant For Donald Trump
Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis is the Iraqi deputy head of the Iran-backed Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces. Soleimani spearheaded the Quds force of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps.
According to a statement released by the Supreme Judicial Council of Iraq, "After the completion of the preliminary investigation procedures, the judge decided to issue an arrest warrant for the outgoing President of the United States of America, Donald Trump. The investigation procedures will continue to find out the other participants in the implementation of this crime, whether they are Iraqis or foreigners," reported Joy Online.
The arrest warrant for the Baghdad court is for premeditated murder, which, if pronounced guilty, means Trump would undergo the death penalty. However, it is not likely that the warrant would be initiated, as it is more symbolic of the US president's last days of his term, reported Yahoo.
According to Iraq's Supreme Judicial Council, "An arrest warrant against the outgoing President of the United States of America, Donald Trump, has been issued in accordance with the provisions of Article 406 of the Iraqi Penal Code."
The decision to issue the warrant "was made after the judge recorded the statements of the claimants from the family of Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis," The court indicated that the probing would continue to identify other individuals who partake in committing the crime, whether they are Iraq citizens or foreigners, reported Yahoo.
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The investigation into the killings is underway, according to the court.
The killings ignited a diplomatic crisis and tainted the ties between the United States and Iraq, drawing the ire of Shiite political lawmakers who passed a non-binding resolution to force the government to banish foreign troops from the nation.
The strike on the motorcade of the victims was commanded by Trump, who later remarked it had taken out two people for the price of one.
Agnès Callamard, the United Nations special rapporteur for summary extrajudicial, or arbitrary executions, has described the two killings as "illegal" and "arbitrary."
Iran already issued a warrant for the sitting US president's arrest in June and asked Interpol to convey it as a so-called "red notice" to other police forces across the globe. Interpol made it apparent there was no intention to adhere to Iran's appeal.
The Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) is a Shia paramilitary force comprising of former militias with close association with Iran. It was recognized under Iraqi law in 2016 as an independent military force that responds directly to the prime minister.
The drone strike and succeeding fatalities ignited major tension between the United States and Iraq. Iran-backed groups have triggered attacks against US troops in Iraq, prompting Washington to threaten to close its Baghdad diplomatic mission.
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