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Written question asked by Matthew Offord (Conservative) on Friday, 4 June 2021, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 8 June 2021. It was answered by James Cleverly (Conservative) on Monday, 14 June 2021 on behalf of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

Iraq: Terrorism

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the arrest of Qasem Musleh on community tensions in Iraq.

Answer

The show of force and threats from armed groups around Baghdad's International Zone in May undermines the Iraqi people's repeated calls for peace and respect for the rule of law. No one should use force and threats to impede criminal investigations. On the 2 June the Foreign Secretary spoke to Iraq's Prime Minister Kadhimi to condemn threats by armed groups. The UK fully supports the government's investigation into the actions of armed groups and we stand with Iraq against militias agitating for escalation.

We strongly condemn the killing of the activist Ihab al-Wazni. Impunity for the killing of activists since October 19 has only led to more deaths. There is an urgent need for concrete measures to hold perpetrators accountable and protect Iraqi citizens.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
10342
Session
2021-22
Grouped for answer
Yes
Subjects
Iraq Terrorism Musleh, Qasem
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk