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Militia Spotlight

Militia Spotlight uses open source monitoring to:
UNDERSTAND the objectives, structure, and activity of Iran-backed militias in Iraq and Syria;
EXPOSE militia information operations and disinformation campaigns;
IDENTIFY linkages between groups and with Iran to increase accountability; and
DENY anonymity and deniability to Iran-backed militias.

Visit the supplementary Militia Spotlight: Profiles hub.

Articles in this Series

Brief Analysis
How to Use Militia Spotlight
Militia Spotlight provides timely, high-quality evidence, analysis and contextualization of militia activities in Iraq and Syria, both within government agencies and outside them.
Feb 10, 2021
◆
  • Michael Knights
◆ Militia Spotlight
KH facilities in Syria under attack December 2019
Maps & Graphics
Articles & Testimony
OFAC Designates Iraqi Militiamen (Part 1): Kataib Hezbollah Commanders
Washington has signaled that its patience is wearing thin with the group's pivotal role in two dozen attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria in a month.
Nov 17, 2023
◆
  • Michael Knights
◆ Militia Spotlight
Hussein Moanes
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Kataib Hezbollah and the Gaza Crisis (Part 2): Israel's Incursion, Khamenei-Nasrallah Speeches, and Blinken's Visit
Hossein Moanes and Abu Fadak have carefully calibrated their threats, showing a multifaceted yet tightly controlled Kataib Hezbollah response.
Nov 7, 2023
◆
  • Michael Knights
  • Amir al-Kaabi
◆ Militia Spotlight
Abu Hussein, head of KH Special Operations
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Kataib Hezbollah and the Gaza Crisis (Part 1): Special Ops in the Lead
The group's earliest reactions to the war were led by its Special Operations wing under Abu Hussein and two spokesmen from his camp.
Nov 7, 2023
◆
  • Amir al-Kaabi
  • Michael Knights
◆ Militia Spotlight
Akram
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Potential Escalation in Iraq (Part 2): Asaib and Nujaba
Asaib Ahl al-Haq, Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba, and their facade group partners may soon step up their attacks amid the Hamas-Israel war, albeit within limits set by Iran.
Nov 1, 2023
◆
  • Hamdi Malik
  • Crispin Smith
  • Ameer al-Kaabi
  • Michael Knights
◆ Militia Spotlight
Iraq escalation
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Potential Escalation in Iraq (Part 1): Khamenei and Badr
Iraqi "resistance" elements are becoming more bellicose in their rhetoric against the American presence, signaling a new level of escalation against U.S. troops as part of their efforts to support Hamas in the Gaza war.
Nov 1, 2023
◆
  • Hamdi Malik
  • Michael Knights
  • Crispin Smith
  • Ameer al-Kaabi
◆ Militia Spotlight
Sons of Jazeera
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Anti-U.S. Attacks Linked to the Sons of Jazira and Euphrates Movement
The "Jazira" brand has begun claiming, through very transparent communiques, that it is undertaking rocket attacks on U.S. bases in Syria.
Oct 27, 2023
◆
  • Hamdi Malik
  • Michael Knights
◆ Militia Spotlight
AWH threat against U.S. bases in Kuwait and the UAE, October 24, 2023
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Kataib Hezbollah's Facade Group Threatens Gulf States Again
An Iran-aligned group that presaged two previous drone attacks on Gulf cities has issued a new threat against U.S. targets in Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates.
Oct 24, 2023
◆
  • Michael Knights
◆ Militia Spotlight
Figure 3 A 5x3 cube of 107mm rockets, Baghdad, October 19, 2023.
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Facade Group Linked to Iran Claims Five Attacks on Americans in Iraq and Syria
A new Telegram account claiming anti-U.S. attacks is linked to Iran's Qods Force and other designated terrorist organizations.
Oct 20, 2023
◆
  • Amir al-Kaabi
  • Michael Knights
  • Hamdi Malik
◆ Militia Spotlight
Gaza cover
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Signs of Iranian Coordination in Iraqi Base Attacks and Messaging
Iran's proxies undertook two drone attacks on U.S. bases in Iraq, and the related social media operations suggest that Iran's Qods Force played a coordinating function.
Oct 18, 2023
◆
  • Amir al-Kaabi
  • Hamdi Malik
  • Michael Knights
◆ Militia Spotlight
KH Gaza
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Coded Militia Language Aims to Signal Escalation
The Iraqi "resistance" is using language that previously presaged attacks on U.S. targets, whether sincerely or as a supportive bluff amid the latest Hamas-Israel crisis.
Oct 16, 2023
◆
  • Hamdi Malik
  • Crispin Smith
  • Michael Knights
◆ Militia Spotlight
Muqawama Gaza
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Iran-Backed Militias Applaud Hamas, Threaten Americans
Iraq's "resistance" militias all rhetorically supported the attack on Israel, but with interesting differences: Badr threatened Americans, while others seemed to downplay potential involvement.
Oct 13, 2023
◆
  • Amir al-Kaabi
  • Michael Knights
◆ Militia Spotlight
Muqwama homosexuality
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Militias Welcome Killing of LGBTQ Celebrity: Coordination Framework Pushes to Make Homosexuality Illegal
Iran-backed militias within the Coordination Framework are leading the call to criminalize alternative lifestyles and celebrating the murder of a queer Iraqi through their social media platforms.
Oct 2, 2023
◆
  • Hamdi Malik
  • Michael Knights
◆ Militia Spotlight
Qais al-Khazali and Hadi al-Ameri
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
The Coordination Framework's Four-Way Split in Provincial Elections (Part 2): Division Over Diyala?
Diyala is the one area where the CF's main militia politicians are competing, with the upstart Qais al-Khazali trying to challenge his elders Hadi al-Ameri and Faleh al-Fayyad in their tribal home province.
Sep 12, 2023
◆
  • Hamdi Malik
  • Michael Knights
◆ Militia Spotlight
Iraq elections
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
The Coordination Framework's Four-Way Split in Provincial Elections (Part 1): Overarching Trends
Badr, Asaib Ahl al-Haq, and Nouri al-Maliki are testing each other's strength in the south but mostly hanging together in the north.
Sep 11, 2023
◆
  • Hamdi Malik
  • Michael Knights
◆ Militia Spotlight
Rayan al-Kildani in a gaudy fake gold chair
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Rayan al-Kildani Pretends to Have a Personal Audience with the Pope
A serious Iraqi human rights abuser sank to new depths to build his credibility after being rejected by the country's Christian leadership.
Sep 8, 2023
◆
  • Yaqoub Beth-Addai
  • Michael Knights
◆ Militia Spotlight
Aub Zainab al-Lami
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Coordination Framework Militias Exposed for Stealing Baghdad Real Estate
Pressure from Ayatollah Sistani and Sadrists has put Kataib Hezbollah and Asaib Ahl al-Haq on the defensive over their growing illicit property empire.
Aug 31, 2023
◆
  • Michael Knights
  • Amir al-Kaabi
◆ Militia Spotlight
Basij protests
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Nujaba Claims Victimization by Coordination Framework Militia-Politicians
Tensions between Iraq's "resistance" groups are on the rise, with Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba claiming that its online platforms and street protests are being targeted.
Aug 21, 2023
◆
  • Hamdi Malik
  • Michael Knights
◆ Militia Spotlight
Sudani
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Nujaba Leads the "Big Three" Reaction to Iraq's Telegram Ban
While one leading militia spearheaded online vitriol against a social media ban that affected its affiliates, Asaib Ahl al-Haq and Kataib Hezbollah seemed more inclined to compromise.
Aug 10, 2023
◆
  • Hamdi Malik
◆ Militia Spotlight
Netblocks shows Telegram down in Iraq, Aug 6, 2023
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Militia Reactions to Iraq's Suspension of Telegram
The official ban on their favorite social media app may be temporary, but their response has highlighted divisions within the Shia militia milieu.
Aug 9, 2023
◆
  • Amir al-Kaabi
  • Michael Knights
◆ Militia Spotlight
A priest leads an Easter mass at the Grand Immaculate Church in Al-Hamdaniya, Iraq, April 9, 2023 - source: Reuters
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Blunting the Militia Campaign Against Iraq’s Christian Leaders
A U.S.-sanctioned, Iran-backed militia leader aims to sideline the country’s Chaldean Patriarch and take over billions of dollars’ worth of Christian property.
Jul 25, 2023
◆
  • Yaqoub Beth-Addai
  • Michael Knights
◆ Militia Spotlight
AK protests cover
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Ashab al-Kahf's "Iraqi Basij" and the Threat Against the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad
The militia entity has created a new Persian-named protest group and called on mobs to storm the embassy compound.
Jul 17, 2023
◆
  • Hamdi Malik
◆ Militia Spotlight
Tsurkov
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Militia Propagandists Comment on Tsurkov Kidnapping
The March kidnapping has been widely attributed to Kataib Hezbollah, while most militia commentators link the incident to supposed Israeli spying.
Jul 7, 2023
◆
  • Hamdi Malik
◆ Militia Spotlight
Brg 16
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Infighting Between Northern Hashd Units Requires IRGC-QF Mediation
Iran's senior Revolutionary Guard operator in Kirkuk and religious-political leader Ammar al-Hakim were recently brought in to mediate between feuding state-paid militias.
Jul 6, 2023
◆
  • Michael Knights
  • Amir al-Kaabi
  • Hamdi Malik
◆ Militia Spotlight
Federal Commisison of Integrity
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Profile: Federal Commission of Integrity
Iraq's Federal Commission on Integrity, taken over during a critical period by a Sudani-appointed Badr judge, has been used to block investigations of corruption undertaken by Coordination Framework factions.
Jun 19, 2023
◆
  • Michael Knights
◆ Militia Spotlight: Profiles

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