A senior commander of an Iran-backed militia was killed on Thursday after a bomb planted in his vehicle exploded in Iraq’s southern Maysan province, according to local officials and security sources. The blast also wounded another militant.

Harakat Ansar Allah al-Awfiya commander Uday Muhsin al-Halfi, also known as Sheikh Dhafir al-Halfi, was killed in the Dur al-Naft area when an improvised explosive device (IED) detonated inside his vehicle, officials said.

Hussein Ali Miryani, head of the defense and Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) committee in the Maysan provincial council, told local media that the explosion occurred earlier on Thursday and left another member of the group injured.

In a statement issued later the same day, Harakat Ansar Allah al-Awfiya confirmed the death of al-Halfi, describing the incident as an “assassination” targeting one of the group’s “prominent” figures in Maysan province.

The militia said al-Halfi was killed after an IED planted in his vehicle was remotely detonated.

Founded in 2014, Harakat Ansar Allah al-Awfiya operates as part of Iraq’s state-linked Popular Mobilization Forces network and has been accused of targeting American interests in Iraq and Syria. The group has also faced allegations of involvement in the kidnapping and killing of protesters during Iraq’s 2019 Tishreen protest movement.

In late April, the United States Department of State Rewards for Justice program announced a reward of up to $10 million for information on the whereabouts or activities of the group’s leader, Haydar Muzhir Ma’lak al-Sa’idi, also known as Haydar al-Gharawi.

According to the State Department, al-Gharawi was responsible for attacks on U.S. diplomatic facilities and military personnel in Iraq, Jordan, and Syria that resulted in the deaths of American service members.

Both Harakat Ansar Allah al-Awfiya and its senior leadership were designated by the United States as Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs) in mid-2024 due to their activities as part of the so-called Islamic Resistance in Iraq.

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq emerged after the outbreak of the Gaza war in October 2023 and includes several Iran-aligned armed factions operating through coordinated or shadow networks. Groups associated with the alliance include Kata’ib Hezbollah, Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq, Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba, and Kata’ib Sayyid al-Shuhada.

No group has claimed responsibility for Thursday’s bombing, and Iraqi authorities have not yet announced the results of any investigation into the attack.