Who was Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, killed in US airstrike with Soleimani?

Muhandis not only founded Kataib Hezbollah, but transformed the paramilitary Popular Mobilization Unit into an official force capable of projecting power throughout Iraq and into Syria.

Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, a commander in the Popular Mobilization Forces, attends the funeral of Ahmed Chalabi in Baghdad, Iraq, November 3, 2015.

Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, a commander in the Popular Mobilization Forces, attends the funeral of Ahmed Chalabi in Baghdad, Iraq, November 3, 2015.

(photo credit: KHALID AL MOUSILY / REUTERS)

BySETH J. FRANTZMAN

JANUARY 6, 2020 19:45