30 Dec 2020; MEMO: Unidentified gunmen have assassinated a senior official in Shia leader Muqtada Al-Sadr's Peace Brigades in Diwaniyah Governorate in southern Iraq.
Police Captain in Diwaniyah, Jamal Al-Din Al-Sudairy, said the gunmen shot Rami Al-Shabani killing him instantly, adding that authorities have opened an investigation into the attack.
There was no official comment made by the Peace Brigades or the Sadrist movement on the attack.
The Peace Brigades is an influential Shia faction operating under the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF)'s command and follows the Sadrist movement led by Muqtada al-Sadr.
The incident came after Al-Sadr sparked controversy earlier this week calling on the United States and Iran to distance Iraq from their conflict.
Later on Monday, a spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Saeed Khatibzadeh described Al-Sadr's remarks as "suspicious and misleading".
