Since the overthrow of the former regime in Iraq under Saddam Hussein’s leadership in 2003, various groups, mostly paramilitary or affiliated with paramilitary groups, have emerged in the country. Many of these groups receive support from the Islamic Republic of Iran and are known as Tehran’s proxy groups, especially after the occupation of large parts of northern Iraq and Syria by the group known as ISIS. These groups have been active in both countries.
With the cessation of hostilities, some of these groups have disbanded or merged with other groups, but the Islamic Republic of Iran still maintains a presence and plays a role in the developments of various countries.
Kata’ib Hezbollah Iraq
This group was founded in 2007 in the city of Al-Amara in southern Iraq. The formation of Kata’ib Hezbollah is actually 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, Karbala Battalions, Zaid bin Ali, Ali Akbar, and Sajjad.
The Kata’ib Hezbollah of Iraq introduces itself as an Islamic resistance jihadist organization and states on its official website that the concept of Wilayat al-Faqih (Guardianship of the Jurist) is the best way for Islamic governance during the Occultation, referring to the belief of Shia Muslims in the absence of their Twelfth Imam.
The Kata’ib Hezbollah of Iraq has direct ideological connections with the Iranian government and declares its mission as defeating the American-Israeli plan in the Middle East. The paramilitary members of this group were among the first armed individuals to fight alongside the Syrian government forces after the start of the nationwide protests in 2011.
Unlike other Shia paramilitary groups, the Kata’ib Hezbollah of Iraq does not have a recognized organizational charter. Its secretary-general is Ahmad Mohsen al-Hamidawi, a figure whose photo has not been released so far. Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, who was killed alongside former commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Qasem Soleimani, in a US airstrike, was one of the founders and commanders of the Kata’ib Hezbollah of Iraq.
The Iraqi Hezbollah Brigades do not have a political arm, but they are part of the Popular Mobilization Forces coalition. This group is responsible for dozens of attacks on US military bases in Iraq and Syria, as well as the rocket attack on the US embassy in Baghdad. The Iraqi Hezbollah Brigades are listed as a terrorist group by the United States.
The Iraqi Hezbollah Brigades continue to hold their positions in areas of Deir ez-Zor province in eastern Syria, and from these positions, they have repeatedly targeted US military bases in Syria with rocket and drone attacks.
The Al-Nujaba Movement
The Al-Nujaba Movement played a prominent role alongside the Iraqi Hezbollah Brigades in the Syrian war, especially in the 2015 battles in Aleppo. This group is also affiliated with the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and receives financial and arms support from the Islamic Republic of Iran.
The Al-Najba Movement has close ties with other groups supported by the Islamic Republic. Its founder and leader, Akram al-Kaabi, was a prominent former military commander in the Shia-affiliated Mahdi Army, led by Muqtada al-Sadr. After leaving the Mahdi Army, Kaabi first joined the Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq group and then established the Al-Najba Movement. In 2015, the United States designated the Al-Najba Movement as a terrorist organization.
In November 2015, Akram al-Kaabi stated in television interviews that he would obey any command issued by Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, even if it involved overthrowing the Iraqi government or participating in foreign wars. In March 2017, the Tasnim News Agency, close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, announced that the Al-Najba Movement was seeking to form the Liberation Brigade of the Golan to liberate this area from Israeli occupation.
Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq
The Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq group, whose founder referred to it as the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, emerged from within the Sadr movement. Its founders and leaders were part of the Sadr movement’s cadre, but they separated from it and established their own group with the stated goal of resisting the American occupation. They have been responsible for numerous attacks against American forces in Iraq.
Qais al-Khazali is the founder and leader of the Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq group. In 2004, after the Mahdi Army, the former military arm of the Sadr Movement, signed the ceasefire agreement with the interim Iraqi government and the US military, he separated from this group and continued to fight against the American forces.
In the middle of 2005, a reconciliation agreement was reached between Qais al-Khazali’s group and Muqtada al-Sadr. However, less than a year later, the name Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq emerged as an independent group from 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, but his request was rejected with a negative response.
The activities of the Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq group, supported by the Islamic Republic, gradually expanded and included Syria. The forces of this group also participated in the Syrian civil war in support of the government. Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq is also listed as a terrorist group by the United States.
The Badr Organization
The Badr Organization is considered to be the root of many Shia paramilitary groups in Iraq and continues to operate under the direct supervision of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). This organization is a political, social, and military group. The Badr Organization was established in Iran in 1982 and 1983 by the IRGC as the military branch of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq. Its members consisted of Iraqi citizens who opposed Saddam Hussein’s government and a portion of Iraqi Shia refugees who were residing in Iran and were referred to as the Islamic Republic’s guests. During the eight-year Iran-Iraq war, this group fought alongside Iranian forces against the Iraqi army.
During that period, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis was also one of the commanders of the Badr Organization. Currently, Hadi al-Amiri, one of the original commanders of this group, serves as its Secretary-General. After the overthrow of Saddam Hussein’s regime in 2003, the Badr Group transformed into an organization and renamed itself the Badr Organization, aiming for institution-building and development. In 2012, it announced its separation from the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq and entered the parliamentary elections of that year by presenting its list of candidates.
The Badr Organization is part of the Popular Mobilization Forces coalition and has sent groups of its paramilitary forces to Syria to defend the ruling regime under the name of the Badr Military Branch or the Martyr Mohammad Baqir Sadr Forces.
The Khurasani Brigades
The Khurasani Brigades was founded in Iran in 1995 by Hamid Taqavi, an officer of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Taqavi was killed in 2015 during the clashes in Tikrit between the Popular Mobilization Forces and the paramilitary forces of ISIS. The roots of this group date back to 1986 when a small unit called Karar Brigade existed and fought alongside Iranian forces during the Iran-Iraq War. Yasin al-Mousawi, an assistant to the former Speaker of the Iraqi Supreme Council, Mohammad Baqir Hakim, supervised this brigade. However, this brigade expanded and was renamed as the Khurasani Brigades by Hamid Taqavi in 1995.
After the overthrow of Saddam Hussein’s regime in 2003, a part of this organization formed a political party called the Khurasani Vanguard and participated in parliamentary elections as part of the legal government coalition led by Nouri al-Maliki, the former Prime Minister of Iraq.
Since 2013, Saraya al-Khorasani has been introduced as the military branch of the Khorasani Vanguard Party. The semi-militant members of this group fought in defense of the Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria. Unlike other groups in the Syrian war, this group made no effort to hide its connection with the Islamic Republic and openly displayed the emblem of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on its flag, declaring its allegiance to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic. Currently, Ahmad Abdullah Mehdi al-Yasiri is the secretary-general of this group.
Elite Units
In May 2021, Reuters reported that the Islamic Republic of Iran has selected hundreds of its supported quasi-militant forces and formed smaller elite units through them.
According to this report, which was obtained from Iraqi security officials, leaders of some quasi-militant groups, and diplomatic sources, the elite unit members received highly confidential training in 2020 by officers of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The most important training provided to these groups includes operating drones, espionage, and cyber warfare.
This report states that the Islamic Republic is seeking to compensate for the failures in guiding proxy groups after the killing of Qasem Soleimani through these groups, as the current commander of the Quds Force, Ismail Qaani, does not have the same influence on these groups.
On the other hand, according to the officials of the Islamic Republic, these elite groups are less susceptible to infiltration and may even act more successfully against Tehran’s rivals, including through successful drone operations. Some reports suggest that these groups directly receive orders from officers of the Quds Force and do not have an Iraqi leader or commander.
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