Kataib Hezbollah Leader Meets With Coordination Framework, Refuses Government Authority to Censure

In a rare event, Ahmad Mohsen Faraj al-Hamidawi (aka Abu Hussein), leader of the Iran-backed Iraqi terrorist militia Kataib Hezbollah (KH), attended an emergency meeting of the Coordination Framework (CF). The exact date of the Shia leadership gathering is unconfirmed, but the KH television channel al-Etejah broadcast the news on August 6 and posted bullet points on Telegram from a statement issued by KH’s media office (Figure 1). According to the Telegram account of the meeting, Abu Hussein:

• "called for restricting Prime Minister al-Sudani’s decisionmaking"

• urged CF leaders "to take decisions that would safeguard Iraq and its sanctities until Sudani’s term ends on November 11"

• "recommended forming a committee from the Coordination Framework to investigate the incidents at the Agriculture Directorate."

The "incidents" in question were the July 27 clashes between KH fighters and Iraqi security forces in the southwestern Baghdad neighborhood of al-Saydiya, which left several security personnel injured and resulted in the deaths of one police officer and one civilian. On August 9, the committee in charge of investigating the clashes announced that “the armed elements who committed this violation belong to the Kataib Hezbollah formation and are affiliated with the 45th and 46th Brigades of the Popular Mobilization Forces.” The committee also recommended measures to be taken in response to this finding, each "approved” by Sudani:

• The commanders of the PMF's 45th and 46th Brigades were to be relieved of their duties.
• A full investigation was to be launched into the leader of the PMF’s Jazira Operations Command due to his "negligence in all leadership duties."

As detailed below, however, none of these actions has taken place.

KH Reaction

KH immediately issued a lengthy statement rebutting the accusations: “Kataib Hezbollah...agreed with the leaders of the Coordination Framework to form a neutral committee to decide on the matter...However, what was announced by the spokesman for the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces regarding the results of the government investigation was not free of distortion and exaggeration in the use of authority. Additional points were inserted that were not included in the recommendations of the committee assigned to investigate—among them, opening an investigation into the Commander of the Jazira Operations, relieving the commanders of the 45th and 46th Brigades of their positions, and noting deficiencies in the leadership and control structure of the Popular Mobilization Forces—aimed at targeting Kataib Hezbollah and the leaders of the PMF...While we call on the judiciary to intervene and reveal the true content of the official investigation report before it was tampered with, we hope it will be compared to what was recently announced by the spokesman for the Commander-in-Chief” (Figure 2). 

KH seems to be getting its way. As of August 17, the commanders of the the 45th and 46th Brigades had not been removed, and no investigation committee appeared to be looking into the head of the Jazira Operations Command. 

Similarly, no investigation has been launched into the August 5 drone attack against the 44th PMF Brigade near Taji, on the northern outskirts of Baghdad. The drone—a large fixed-wing variant of the kind previously used by KH—struck elements of Liwa Ansar al-Marjaiya, an Atabat (shrine) unit affiliated with Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani. The attack occurred amid surging tensions between the Iran-backed muqawama (resistance) militias and Sistani's followers after the July 27 clashes. The 44th Brigade is commanded by Hamidi al-Yasiri, an outspoken critic of Iran-backed factions like KH.