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Iraq

Policy Analysis on Iraq

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Qais al-Khazali Doubles Down on His Muqawama Membership

Militia Spotlight

The militia leader has not hesitated to provide court-quality evidence that he and his movement Asaib Ahl al-Haq are actively involved in attacks on U.S. forces.

Hamdi Malik
Michael Knights
Crispin Smith

The Evolution of Iran’s Qods Force Since 1979

By absorbing rival organizations and favoring commanders who lack connections to other regime power centers, the IRGC has used the Qods Force to steadily centralize and monopolize control over the country’s foreign operations.

Ali Alfoneh

Threats Against Iraq's Government Aired on al-Etejah TV

Militia Spotlight

Kataib Hezbollah's television outlet is still airing false claims about the release of Qasim Muslih, as well as coup threats that draw comparisons to Yemen's Houthi takeover.

Hamdi Malik
Crispin Smith

President Donald Trump speaks about Syria

Articles & Testimony

The Inside Story of How Trump ‘Kept the Oil’ in Syria and Lost

The ambitious plan would have seen Delta Crescent, a tiny Delaware company, try to bring peace and stability to the war-ravaged northeast, but local corruption, a lack of U.S. commitment, and other complications doomed the idea.

Kenneth R. Rosen

Muqawama Fake News Surrounding Qasim Muslih’s Arrest (Part 2): Release Claims

Militia Spotlight

Militias made a concerted effort to create the false impression that their colleague had been released immediately, and the claim was soon echoed by major global media outlets.

Michael Knights
Crispin Smith
Hamdi Malik

Muqawama Fake News Surrounding Qasim Muslih’s Arrest (Part 1): International Zone Claims

Militia Spotlight

The first wave of post-arrest deception operations tried to give the false impression that militias controlled the Baghdad zone containing the prime minister's residence, the U.S. embassy, and other sensitive sites.

Michael Knights
Crispin Smith
Alex Almeida
Hamdi Malik

An Iraqi member of a Shia PMF militia

Iraqi Militias Try, and Fail, to Intimidate the Government

Baghdad effectively enforced the rule of law by detaining a senior militia figure, though it still needs to arrest other murder suspects and show the public that October’s election will be safe.

Michael Knights

An Iraqi member of a Shia PMF militia

Maps & Graphics

When the Tansiqiya Speaks in AAH's Absence

Militia Spotlight

The May 20 Gaza protest in Baghdad saw the Tansiqiya speak in the notable absence of any Asaib Ahl al-Haq members, and the event was conspicuously ignored by AAH channels.

Hamdi Malik
Crispin Smith

The Tansiqiya Signals Escalation Versus the United States

Militia Spotlight

The Iraqi militia coordination committee is laying out its political and legal arguments for the removal of U.S. forces.

Crispin Smith

How the Iraqi Muqawama Are Exploiting the Gaza Conflict

Militia Spotlight

Hamas's example could embolden Iraqi factions to accelerate attacks on U.S. facilities at home, as well as seek some reflected glory by claiming Syria-based attacks against Israelis.

Hamdi Malik

Maps & Graphics

Kataib Hezbollah Leads Drone Warfare Inside Iraq

Militia Spotlight

The group is employing sophisticated drone capabilities against U.S. airbases in Iraq, mirroring tactics and systems used in Yemen.

Michael Knights
Crispin Smith

Distinguishing Kawader Hezbollah al-Qudama and Kataib Hezbollah

Militia Spotlight

Nouri al-Maliki is gathering various Iraqi resistance figures who fought both Saddam and the coalition, but this marginal "old timer" party is not the same as Kataib Hezbollah, which has yet to show its hand in parliamentary politics.

Hamdi Malik
Michael Knights

Profile: Ahd Allah Islamic Movement

Militia Spotlight: Profiles

Ahd Allah Islamic Movement is a social and cultural movement built around Kataib Hezbollah ideologue Sayyed Hashem al-Haidari.

Hamdi Malik

Rehabilitating Assad: The Arab League Embraces a Pariah

Parochial interests and war fatigue are driving many member states to support premature elections and normalization with Damascus, but this approach will only consolidate Assad’s control and help him evade accountability for war crimes.

David Schenker

Profile: Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada

Militia Spotlight: Profiles

Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada is a splinter of Kataib Hezbollah that works directly with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and has a transnational focus on the shared regional agenda of the Iran-backed axis of resistance.

Michael Knights

How Iran Employed Iraq's Muqawama in Its Post-Natanz Response

Militia Spotlight

Militias falsely claimed attacks against Israeli and U.S. targets in retaliation for the nuclear incident, underlining how Tehran directs and coordinates each proxy's kinetic and information operations in a centralized manner.

Hamdi Malik
Crispin Smith

Profile: Sharia Youth Gathering

Militia Spotlight: Profiles

The Sharia Youth Gathering is an umbrella movement of social service, cultural, sports, and scouting organizations that is effectively controlled by Kataib Hezbollah through a cadre of linked commanders.

Hamdi Malik
Crispin Smith
Michael Knights

Profile: Imam Hussein Scout Association

Militia Spotlight: Profiles

The Imam Hussein Scout Association is Kataib Hezbollah’s youth organization and an affiliate of Lebanese Hezbollah's Kishaf al-Imam al-Mahdi youth movement.

Hamdi Malik
Crispin Smith
Michael Knights

Figure 3 HaN’s Al-Nujaba TV called the event “protest of theTansiqiya, May 20, 2021

Maps & Graphics

Profile: Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba

Militia Spotlight: Profiles

Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba proved its axis of resistance credentials in Syria, but its role in terrorism and repression within Iraq is more enigmatic.

Michael Knights

Maps & Graphics

Profile: Asaib Ahl al-Haq

Militia Spotlight: Profiles

Asaib Ahl al-Haq is a major Iraqi armed group that identifies as part of Iran's axis of resistance but stubbornly maintains a degree of independence, forming numerous cells to conduct kinetic, media, and social operations, some bankrolled by the Iraqi state.

Michael Knights

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