With the grace of Allah Almighty, the soldiers of the Caliphate targeted a PKK apostates' oil tanker in the town of Dhiban last Saturday with machine guns, causing damage to it, praise be to Allah.

According to a well-connected journalist based in the area, the specific militia responsible is that of al-Hajj Ahmad Asʿad al-Jayirli, a Shia Turkmen commander who leads the Turkmen 63rd Brigade of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) operating around the Tuz Khurmatu–Amerli belt, and who has also served as commander of the Special Forces Regiment under the PMF’s North Axis command.

The attack reportedly originated near the village of Sha Saiwan, just northwest of Tuz Khurmatu district. This area is roughly 35 km from Khor Mor, which suggests the use of extended-range rockets that these militias possess.

More significantly, al-Jayirli is closely linked to Nouri al-Maliki. He ran on Maliki’s list in Salahaddin province but lost; the only successful candidate on that list was another Turkmen from the Badr Organization.

The journalist reporting this is Dilshad Anwar, who is well connected, generally reliable, and until recently worked for VOA Kurdish before its shutdown. He did not name al-Jayirli directly, but said the commander in question is a Shia Turkmen militia leader, a Hajj, very close to Maliki, and from the Tuz Khurmatu–Amerli area - a description that only really fits al-Jayirli.

Politically, this is very telling because Maliki has been unusually silent and has issued no statement on the attack, despite having visited Erbil just days earlier and met with Masoud and Masrour Barzani. By contrast, Qais al-Khazali of Asaib Ahl al-Haq, who is known to be closer to PUK, has condemned the attack and called for an investigation, and even Rayan al-Kildani of the Babylon militia has issued a statement strongly denouncing it.

Another noteworthy detail is that Bafel Talabani waited before releasing his own strongly worded statement, which may suggest he first sought to confirm the actor behind the attack. According to this journalist, the perpetrating force is already known to both KRG and Iraqi security agencies.

Also, if this account is confirmed, it suggests the attack was driven more by intra-Iraqi dynamics than by Iran.