The interior ministry is also investigating an incident in which an American patrol reportedly caught a death squad red-handed on its way to kill a prisoner.

ECONOMIST: Iraq

Mr Hashemi is accused of running a death squad with his bodyguards which is alleged to have carried out a campaign of political assassinations and bombings at the height of Iraq's insurgency.

BBC: Iraq's Tariq al-Hashemi faces Interpol arrest notice

The aim, according to the U.S. military, was to capture a reputed death squad leader.

NPR: Sadr City Revolves Around Old Ties, Cleric