The Iraq-Iran Proxy Triad
Which group in Iraq is most influenced by the Islamic Republic?
The Iraq-Iran Proxy Triad: The proxy groups of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Iraq have threatened to act if the crisis continues amid rising tensions in the region and the intensifying conflict between Israel and Palestinian groups.
Meanwhile, in recent weeks, bases housing American forces in Iraq and Syria have been targeted by rocket and drone attacks, which have not resulted in casualties. In response, the US military has bombed some bases. Iran-backed militia groups in Iraq have announced the formation of an operational room to support Palestinian groups’ operations against Israel. The group claiming responsibility for the rocket launches called themselves ‘The Heirs,’ a group whose actual existence is uncertain.
Occasionally, based on developments, a group in Iraq announces its existence and takes responsibility for certain operations. These groups are mainly temporarily formed by the Islamic Republic’s proxy groups and are, in fact, part of the existing proxy groups.
Establishment of Iran’s Proxy Groups in Iraq
Since the fall of the former Iraqi regime led by Saddam Hussein in 2003, numerous groups, mostly paramilitary or with paramilitary wings, have emerged in this country. Many of these groups are supported by the Islamic Republic of Iran and are recognized as Tehran’s proxies. The number of these groups increased especially after large parts of northern Iraq and Syria were occupied by the group known as ISIS, with these groups operating in both countries.
As the flames of battle subsided, some of these groups disbanded or merged with other groups. However, the Islamic Republic of Iran continues to be present and plays a role in the developments of various countries.
Kata’ib Hezbollah Iraq
This group was founded in 2007 in the city of Amarah in southern Iraq. The formation of Kata’ib Hezbollah was essentially the result of an alliance of several paramilitary groups that emerged after the fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime. These groups include the Abu al-Fadl al-Abbas Brigade, the Karbala Brigades, Zaid bin Ali, Ali Akbar, and Sajjad.
Kata’ib Hezbollah Iraq presents itself as a resistant Islamic jihadist organization and states on its official website that the Guardianship of the Islamic Jurist is the best way for Islamic governance during the absence, referring to the Shia belief in the occultation of their twelfth Imam.
Kata’ib Hezbollah Iraq has direct organizational ties with the Iranian government and defines its mission as thwarting the American-Israeli plan in the Middle East. The militia of this group were among the first armed individuals to fight alongside Syrian government forces following the outbreak of nationwide protests in 2011 in Syria.
Unlike other Shia paramilitary groups, Kata’ib Hezbollah Iraq does not have a well-known organizational chart. The secretary-general of this group is Ahmad Mohsen Faraj al-Hamidawi, a figure whose photo has not been published so far. Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, who was killed alongside Qasem Soleimani, the former commander of the Quds Force of the Revolutionary Guards, in a US operation, was one of the founders and commanders of Kata’ib Hezbollah Iraq.
Kata’ib Hezbollah Iraq does not have a political wing but is part of the Popular Mobilization Forces coalition. This group has claimed responsibility for dozens of attacks on US military bases in Iraq and Syria, as well as rocket launches at the US Embassy in Baghdad. Kata’ib Hezbollah Iraq is listed as a terrorist group by the United States.
Kata’ib Hezbollah continues to maintain its positions in areas of Deir ez-Zor province in eastern Syria and has repeatedly targeted bases housing US forces in Syria with rocket and drone attacks from these positions.
Harakat al-Nujaba
Harakat al-Nujaba played a prominent role alongside Kata’ib Hezbollah Iraq in the Syrian war, especially in the 2015 battles of Aleppo. This group is also affiliated with the Quds Force of the Revolutionary Guards and receives financial and military support from the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Harakat al-Nujaba maintains close ties with other Iran-backed groups. The founder and leader of this group, Akram al-Kaabi, is a former senior military commander in the Mahdi Army, a Shia group affiliated with Muqtada al-Sadr. After separating from the Mahdi Army, Kaabi first joined Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq and then founded Harakat al-Nujaba. The United States listed Harakat al-Nujaba as a terrorist group in 2015.
In November 2015, Akram al-Kaabi stated in a television interview that he would obey any order issued by Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, even if it involved overthrowing the Iraqi government or participating in a foreign war. In March 2017, the Tasnim news agency, close to the Revolutionary Guards, announced that Harakat al-Nujaba was seeking to form the Golan Liberation Brigade to remove this area from Israeli control.
Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq
The Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq group, whose founder calls it the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, emerged from the Sadr movement. Its founder and leaders were cadres of the Sadr movement but separated from it and established their group with the declared aim of resisting American occupation. They have claimed responsibility for numerous attacks against US forces in Iraq.
Qais Khazali is the founder and leader of Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq. In 2004, after the Mahdi Army, the previous military wing of the Sadr movement, signed a ceasefire agreement with the interim Iraqi government and the US military, he left this group and continued fighting against US forces.
In mid-2005, an agreement for reconciliation between Qais Khazali’s group and Muqtada al-Sadr was reached, but less than a year later, Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq emerged as a group independent of the Mahdi Army. Muqtada al-Sadr dissolved the Mahdi Army and announced the formation of the Promised Day Brigade. He asked Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq to join the new group, a request that was rejected.
The scope of Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq’s activities, supported by the Islamic Republic, gradually expanded to include Syria as well. The forces of this group participated in the Syrian civil war in support of the country’s government. Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq is also listed as a terrorist group by the United States.
Badr Organization
The Badr Organization is considered the root of many Shia paramilitary groups in Iraq and continues to operate under the direct supervision of the Revolutionary Guards. This organization is a political, social, and military group. The Badr Organization was established in Iran in 1982 and 1983 by the Revolutionary Guards as the military wing of the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq. The members of this group consisted of Iraqi citizens opposed to Saddam Hussein’s regime who resided in Iran, as well as some Iraqi Shia prisoners of war whom the Islamic Republic called ‘repentants.’ This group fought alongside Iranian forces against the Iraqi army during the eight-year Iran-Iraq war.
During that period, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis was also one of the commanders of the Badr Organization. Currently, Hadi al-Amiri, one of the initial commanders of this group, serves as the secretary-general of the organization. After the fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime in 2003, the Badr group transformed into an organization and named itself the Badr Organization for Reconstruction and Development. In 2012, it announced its separation from the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq and entered the parliamentary elections that year with its list of candidates.
The Badr Organization is part of the Popular Mobilization Forces coalition and also sent a collection of its paramilitaries to Syria to defend the ruling regime there under the name of the Badr Military Wing in Syria or the Martyr Muhammad Baqir al-Sadr Forces.
Saraya al-Khorasani
Saraya al-Khorasani was founded in 1995 in Iran by Hamid Taqavi, an officer of the Revolutionary Guards. Taqavi was killed in 2015 during clashes in the Tikrit area between Popular Mobilization Forces and ISIS militants. The roots of this group go back to 1986 when there was initially a small battalion called the Karar Battalion that fought alongside Iranian forces in the Iran-Iraq war. Oversight of this battalion was under the responsibility of a person named Yasin al-Mousawi, an aide to Muhammad Baqir al-Hakim, the former head of the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq. However, in 1995, this battalion expanded and was named Saraya al-Khorasani by Hamid Taqavi.
After the fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime in 2003, part of this organization formed a political party called Taliea al-Khorasani and participated in parliamentary elections as part of the State of Law Coalition led by former Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.
Since 2013, Saraya al-Khorasani has been introduced as the military wing of the Taliea al-Khorasani party. The militias of this group fought in defense of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria. This group made no effort to hide its connection with the Islamic Republic, even in the Syrian war, and instead depicted the Revolutionary Guards’ emblem on its flag and openly declared its allegiance to Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic. Ahmed Abdullah Mahdi al-Yasari is now the secretary-general of this group.
Elite Units
In May 2021, Reuters reported that the Islamic Republic of Iran had selected hundreds of fighters from its supported paramilitary groups to form smaller elite units.
According to this report, which was prepared by obtaining information from Iraqi security officials, leaders of some paramilitary groups, and diplomatic sources, members of the elite groups were trained very secretly in 2020 by officers of the Quds Force of the Revolutionary Guards. The most important training provided to these groups included operating drones and conducting cyber warfare.
The report states that the Islamic Republic seeks to compensate for failures in leading proxy groups after Qasem Soleimani’s death through these groups, as Esmail Qaani, the current commander of the Quds Force, does not have Soleimani’s influence over these groups.
On the other hand, according to the Islamic Republic’s officials, these elite groups are less susceptible to infiltration and may be more successful in actions against Tehran’s rivals’ interests, including through drone operations. Some reports indicate that these groups receive direct orders from Quds Force officers of the Revolutionary Guards and do not have Iraqi commanders or leaders.