Kata'ib Hezbollah

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For other uses, see Hezbollah (disambiguation).
Kata'ib Hezbollah
Participant in Iraq War
Syrian Civil War
Kata'ib Hezbollah logo.svg
200px
Hezbollah Brigades logo (and flag) based on Hezbollah and IRGC logos
Active October 2003–present
Ideology Shia Islamism
Velayat-e Faqih
Leaders Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis (Jamal al-Ibrahimi)[1]
Headquarters Middle and Southern Iraq
Strength 2,000 (2010; at most)[2]

10,000 (June 2014)

Over 30,000 (December 2014 claim)[3]
Part of Popular Mobilization Forces
Originated as Special Groups
Allies  Iraq

 Iran
 Syria[4]
InfoboxHez.PNG Hezbollah
Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq
Promised Day Brigades
Other Special Groups
Liwa Abu al-Fadhal al-Abbas SSI.svg Liwa Abu al-Fadhal al-Abbas

Coalition
Opponents Islamic State
Battles and wars Iraq War

Iraqi Civil War (2014–present)

Syrian Civil War

Kata'ib Hezbollah (Arabic: كتائب حزب الله‎‎, Brigades of the Party of God[14]) or Hezbollah Brigades is an Iraqi Shia paramilitary group supported by Iran. It is active in the Iraqi war against ISIS[15][need quotation to verify] and the Syrian Civil War.[16] During the Iraq War, the group fought against American and coalition forces.[14][17]

History

The group's structure is secretive, but Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, an adviser to Iran's Quds Force and former Badr Organization member, is known to be a senior figure in the group.[1][18] The group receives training and funding from the Quds Force.[14][17] The US State department also claimed Lebanon-based Hezbollah provided weapons and training for the group.[19] It came to prominence in 2007 for attacks against American and coalition forces,[14][20] and was known for uploading its videos of attacks on American forces on the internet.[21]

In Summer 2008 US and Iraqi Forces launched a crackdown against Kata'ib Hezbollah and the Special Groups. At least 30 of its members were captured during those months. Many of the group's leaders were captured and US officials claimed that "as result much of the leadership fled to Iran".[22][23]

On 2 July 2009 the group was added to the U.S. State Department list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations. The group was held responsible for numerous IED bombings, mortar, rocket and RPG attacks as well as sniper operations, targeting US and Iraqi Forces and the Green Zone, including a November 2008 rocket attack that killed two U.N. workers.[20]

In December, 2009, the group intercepted the unencrypted video feed of MQ-1 Predator UAVs above Iraq.[24]

12 February 2010 a firefight with suspected members of Kata'ib Hezbollah occurred 265 km (165 mi) southeast of Baghdad in a village near the Iranian border, the U.S. military said. Twelve people were arrested, it said. "The joint security team was fired upon by individuals dispersed in multiple residential buildings ... members of the security team returned fire, killing individuals assessed to be enemy combatants," the military said in a statement. The Provincial Iraqi officials said many of the dead were innocent bystanders, and demanded compensation. They said eight people were killed.[25]

On 13 July 2010 General Ray Odierno named Kata'ib Hezbollah as being behind threats against American bases in Iraq. "In the last couple weeks there's been an increased threat ... and so we've increased our security on some of our bases," Odierno told reporters at a briefing in Baghdad.[26]

In July 2011, an Iraqi intelligence official estimated the group's size at 1,000 fighters and said the militants were paid between $300 to $500 per month.[27][28]

Post-US withdrawal

In 2013 Kata'ib Hezbollah and other Iraqi Shia militias acknowledged sending fighters to Syria to fight alongside forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad, against the Sunni rebels seeking to overthrow him in the Syrian Civil War.[16]

Wathiq al-Batat, a former Kata'ib Hezbollah leader, announced the creation of a new Shia milita, the Mukhtar Army, on 4 February 2013, saying its aim is to defend Shiites and help the government combat terrorism.[29]

In 2014 the group began taking a prominent role in the fight against ISIL in Iraq, and it was reported that it had received close air support from the U.S. Air Force during the Iranian-led intervention in Iraq.[15][not in citation given]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 https://www.ctc.usma.edu/posts/the-evolution-of-iran%E2%80%99s-special-groups-in-iraq
  2. ↑ Group Profile Kata'ib Hezbollah (page 7), 5 March 2010
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/iraqs-victory-over-militants-in-sunni-town-underlines-challenges-government-faces/2014/10/29/c53c4886-6f61-4567-904a-918060f6f2f5_story.html
  7. ↑ http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/sep/23/iraq-isis-sunni-conflict-militants
  8. ↑ http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2015/10/iraqi-army-shiite-militias-report-success-in-baiji.php
  9. ↑ http://www.iraqinews.com/iraq-war/kataib-hezbollah-announce-full-control-baiji-hours/
  10. ↑ http://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2015/04/07/398004441/after-retaking-tikrit-shiite-militias-accused-of-violence-against-sunnis
  11. ↑ http://www.ibtimes.com/islamic-state-iraq-battle-against-isis-tikrit-led-iran-backed-shiite-militia-forces-1835134
  12. ↑ http://www.almasdarnews.com/article/two-brigades-of-kataeb-hezbollah-arrive-in-aleppo-amid-the-presence-of-general-suleimani/
  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/para/kataib-hizballah.htm
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 http://web.stanford.edu/group/mappingmilitants/cgi-bin/groups/view/361
  18. ↑ http://www.jamestown.org/single/?tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=36109#.Vy1PUNQrKt8
  19. ↑ Google News US puts sanctions on Iraq Shiite group, Iran adviser, 1 July 2009, AFP
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  21. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  22. ↑ Google News US says five Iranian proxy insurgents held in Iraq, 27 September 2008 Archived 3 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  23. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  24. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  25. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  26. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  27. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  28. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  29. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

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