Iraq
66-571: Non-state allies Non-state opponents Iraqi Civil War (2014–2017) Syrian Civil War Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq ( AAH ; Arabic : عصائب أهل الحق Aṣaʾib ʾAhl al-Haqq , "League of the Righteous"), also known as the Khazali Network ( Arabic : شبكة الخزعلي ), is a radical Iraqi Shia Islamist political party and paramilitary organization active in the Iraqi insurgency and Syrian Civil War . During
132-503: A major offensive north-east of Mosul against Kurdish position but were repelled. Starting December 22, the Iraqi Army began a campaign to recapture Ramadi . On December 28, Iraq declared Ramadi liberated from ISIL forces and under the control of the Iraqi government. Iraqi armed forces regained control of Hīt and Ar-Rutbah in offensive operations in 2016 and then Fallujah as well in
198-404: A $ 3.5 billion U.S.-led program to rearm the Iraqi security forces , a U.S.-led training program that provided training to nearly 200,000 Iraqi soldiers and police, the participation of the military of Iran , including troops as well as armored and air elements, and military and logistical aid provided to Iraq by Russia. On 9 December 2017, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced victory over
264-695: A day after seizing the border crossing at Al-Qaim . According to analysts, capturing these crossings could aid ISIL in transporting weapons and equipment to different battlefields. Two days later, the Syrian Air Force bombed ISIL positions in Iraq near the Al-Qaim border post. Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki stated: "There was no coordination involved, but we welcome this action. We welcome any Syrian strike against Isis because this group targets both Iraq and Syria." At this point, The Jerusalem Post reported that
330-795: A dispute with al-Abbas's native Syrian fighters. Like other Iraqi Shia paramilitaries in Syria, they fight in defense of the Sayyidah Zainab shrine . AAH took part in the 2014 Iraqi parliamentary election as part of the Al-Sadiqoun Bloc. An electoral meeting of an estimated 100,000 supporters of Al-Sadiqoun was marred by violence as a series of bombs exploded at the campaign rally held at the Industrial Stadium in eastern Baghdad, killing at least 37 people and wounding scores others, according to Iraqi police. The group organizers had planned to announce at
396-1686: A former Badr Brigades member who ran an important smuggling network known as the Sheibani Network , played a key role in supplying the group. The group was also supplied by a smuggling network headed by Ahmad Sajad al-Gharawi , a former Mahdi Army commander, mostly active in Maysan Governorate . As of 2006 AAH had at least four major operational branches: Iraqi Civil War (2014%E2%80%932017) [REDACTED] Kurdistan Regional Government Allied groups: Others: [REDACTED] Iran [REDACTED] Hezbollah [REDACTED] Syria [REDACTED] CJTF–OIR [REDACTED] Islamic State [REDACTED] Haider al-Abadi [REDACTED] Nouri al-Maliki [REDACTED] Iraqi security forces 600,000 (300,000 Army and 300,000 Police ) Popular Mobilization Forces : 60,000–90,000 Awakening Council militias: 30,000 Contractors : 7,000 [REDACTED] Peshmerga: 200,000 [REDACTED] Islamic State : [REDACTED] Iraqi security forces and militias : 19,000+ killed and 29,000+ wounded [REDACTED] Peshmerga : 1,837 killed 10,546 wounded 62 missing or captured [REDACTED] Kurdistan Workers' Party : 180 killed (2014–Jan. 2016) [REDACTED] IRGC : 43 killed Liwa Zainebiyoun : 3 killed [REDACTED] CJTF–OIR : Major insurgent attacks Foreign interventions IS genocide of minorities IS war crimes Timeline The War in Iraq (2013–2017)
462-630: A former military commander in Mosul, accused al-Maliki of being the one who issued the order to withdraw from the city of Mosul. At its height, ISIL held 56,000 square kilometers of Iraqi territory, containing 4.5 million citizens. The war resulted in the forced resignation of al-Maliki in 2014, as well as an airstrike campaign by the United States and a dozen other countries in support of the Iraqi military , participation of American and Canadian troops (predominantly special forces) in ground combat operations,
528-417: A grenade: which allowed the other three to only be wounded when the grenade thrown by insurgents exploded in the barracks room on the first floor of the building. Three U.S. humvees were damaged by separate explosions in the raid. No Iraqi policemen or soldiers were injured in the raid, as the insurgents specifically targeted the U.S. soldiers in the compound. At approximately 18:00, the insurgents broke off
594-654: A link between Quds Force and the Karbala raid. Daqduq worked as a liaison between Quds force and the Shia group that carried out the raid. According to the United States, Daqduq said that the Shia group "could not have conducted this complex operation without the support and direction of the Quds force." On June 9, 2007, Bill Roggio of the Long War Journal wrote that U.S. Government had discovered satellite imagery showing an exact mockup of
660-515: A major lull in the group's activity from May to July 2008. In February 2010, AAH kidnapped DoD civilian Issa T. Salomi, a naturalized American from Iraq. This was the first high-profile kidnapping of a foreigner in Iraq since the kidnapping of Peter Moore (which was also done by AAH). Salomi was released in March 2010 in exchange for four AAH militants being held in Iraqi custody. In total 450 members of AAH have been handed over from US to Iraqi custody since
726-480: A party with the same name. On 3 January 2020, the U.S. Department of State announced its intent to designate AAH a terrorist organization along with two of its leaders, Qais al-Khazali and his brother Laith al-Khazali, who were named Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGT). Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq split from the Sadrist Movement in 2004. Qais al-Khazali split from Muqtada al-Sadr 's Mahdi Army after
SECTION 10
#1732876218168792-403: A result, an estimated 180,000 civilians (including refugees of the previous Anbar offensive) attempted to flee the area. Later that month, Operation Ashura was launched by Iraqi forces and Iranian-backed Shia militias, scoring a major victory and retaking the strategic town of Jurf al-Sakhar near Baghdad, and securing the way for millions of Shia pilgrims who were going to Karbala and Najaf On
858-468: A truck bomb in a crowded marketplace in Sadr City , Baghdad , killing at least 75 people and injuring 212 more. On 27 August, a suicide bomber assassinated General Abdel Rahman Abu Ragheef, deputy commander of operations in the province of Anbar, and Brigadier Safeen Abdel Majeed, a divisional commander. ISIL forces lost Sinjar on November 13 to Kurdish forces. During 16–17 December, ISIL forces mounted
924-455: A village close to Mahawil. Three were already dead (two handcuffed together in the back of one of the SUVs and the other on the ground) and the fourth showed up at nearby hospital with a gunshot wound to the head. On the day of the attack, the U.S. military reported only that five soldiers were killed while "repelling the attack." The full details of the attack, including the militants' penetration of
990-531: Is alleged to receive some $ 5 million worth of cash and weapons every month from Iran. In January 2012, following the American withdrawal from Iraq in December 2011, Qais al-Khazali declared the United States was defeated and that now the group was prepared to disarm and join the political process. Since the beginning of the Iraqi war against ISIL , AAH has grown to around 10,000 members and been described as one of if not
1056-618: Is in Babil province, about 27 miles directly east of Karbala. While it is impossible to prove, the attackers may have been making a bee-line towards the Iranian border. The Karbala raid makes sense in light of the U.S. raids on the Iranian diplomatic missions in Baghdad and Irbil, where Iranian Qods Force agents were captured, along with documentation that divulged Iran's involvement with and support of Shia death squads and al-Qaeda in Iraq. Five Iranians from
1122-528: Is the January 20, 2007 Karbala provincial headquarters raid where they infiltrated the U.S. Army's offices at Karbala , killed one soldier, then abducted and killed four more American soldiers. After the raid, the U.S. military launched a crackdown on AAH and the raid's mastermind Azhar al-Dulaimi was killed in Baghdad, while much of the group's leadership captured including the brothers Qais and Laith al-Khazali and Lebanese Hezbollah member Ali Musa Daqduq who
1188-739: Is unfolding in Sinjar." In addition, during this latest offensive, the Islamic State advanced to within 30 km of the Iraqi Kurdish capital of Erbil in northern Iraq. Prompted by the siege and killings of the Yazidis, on 7 August, President Obama authorized targeted airstrikes in Iraq against ISIL , along with airdrops of aid. The UK offered the US assistance with surveillance and refueling, and planned humanitarian airdrops to Iraqi refugees. The US asserted that
1254-605: The Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq against the U.S. contingent of the Joint Security Station, located within the Iraqi Police headquarters. The assault, which left five U.S. soldiers dead and three wounded, has been called the "boldest and most sophisticated attack in four years of warfare" and is furthermore notable for being one of the few instances when any sort of militants or insurgents have actually managed to capture U.S. soldiers since
1320-521: The Day of Ashura . Kurdish forces, meanwhile, recaptured Zummar . On 21 October, ISIL seized terrain north of the Sinjar Mountains, thus cutting the area's escape route to Kurdish areas. The Yazidi militias then withdrew from there into the mountains, where the number of Yazidi civilian refugees was estimated at 2,000–7,000. The mountains had once again been partially surrounded by ISIL. In mid-November,
1386-620: The Iraq War it was known as Iraq's largest " Special Group " (the American term for Iranian -backed Shia paramilitaries in Iraq), and it is part of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) in the 41st, 42nd, and 43rd Brigades, cooperating with the Iraqi government in its fight against ISIS. AAH is funded, trained, equipped and guided by IRGC 's Quds Force and Hezbollah . Members of AAH, as part of PMF, receive Iraqi government salaries after
SECTION 20
#17328762181681452-400: The Iraqi army retook control of most of the strategic city Baiji from the Islamic State and broke the siege of the nearby oil refinery. However, by the following month, ISIL recaptured Baiji and reestablished the siege of the refinery. On 17 December, Peshmerga forces, backed by 50 US-led coalition airstrikes on ISIL positions, launched an offensive to liberate Sinjar and to break
1518-519: The Mosul offensive (2015) in which Peshmerga forces captured large amount of territory surrounding Mosul . On 2 March, the Second Battle of Tikrit began and after more than a month of hard fighting, Iraqi government troops and pro-Iranian Shiite militias overcame ISIL fighters and took Tikrit. Shia groups claimed that they had killed Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri but this was later debunked This success
1584-563: The Obama administration had requested US$ 500 million from the US Congress to use in the training and arming of "moderate" Syrian rebels fighting against the Syrian government, in order to counter the growing threat posed by ISIL in Syria and Iraq. On 29 June, ISIL announced the establishment of a new caliphate . Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was appointed its caliph , and group formally changed its name to
1650-648: The President of Iraqi Kurdistan in the Kurdish autonomous region of Iraq . Assyrian forces included: Nineveh Plain Protection Units , Nineveh Plain Forces , Babylon Brigades , Kataib Rouh Allah Issa Ibn Miriam , Qaraqosh Protection Committee and Dwekh Nawsha . In the course of their Anbar campaign , ISIL militants and their baathist allies seized at least 70% of Al Anbar Governorate by June 2014, including
1716-735: The Shi'a uprising in 2004 to create his own Khazali network. When the Mahdi Army signed a ceasefire with the government and the Americans and the fighting stopped, Khazali continued fighting, and during the battle Khazali was already issuing his own orders to militiamen without Muqtada al-Sadr's approval. The group's leadership (which includes Khazali, Abd al-Hadi al-Darraji (a politician in Muqtada al-Sadr's Sadr Movement ) and Akram al-Kaabi ), however, reconciled with al-Sadr in mid-2005. In July 2006, Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq
1782-569: The Third Battle of Fallujah ending in June 2016. On 16 October 2016, the Battle of Mosul began. Karbala provincial headquarters raid Tactical Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq victory Invasion (2003) Post-invasion insurgency (2003–2006) Civil war (2006–2008) Insurgency (2008–2011) The Karbala provincial headquarters raid was a special operation carried out on January 20, 2007, by
1848-577: The Vietnam War . Since the 2003 US invasion of Iraq , Karbala province had not seen the same intensity of violence that had wracked other areas of Iraq such as Baghdad and Al Anbar province . Although Karbala had been the site of many attacks, it had largely been free of the spectacular bombings that regularly took place in Baghdad or the heavy urban warfare seen in Fallujah , Mosul , Baqubah , Ramadi , and elsewhere. There were two notable exceptions:
1914-589: The Iranian Liaison Office in Erbil on 11 January. In response to such speculations, Hassan Kazemi Qomi , the Iranian ambassador to Iraq, "ridiculed evidence the U.S. military claimed to have proving Iranian involvement in planning attacks on U.S. and Iraqi forces." Journalist Bill Roggio has suggested that the attackers may have intended to transfer the captured Americans over the border to Iran. This raid required specific intelligence, in depth training for
1980-580: The Irbil raid are still in U.S. custody, and captured U.S. soldiers would provide for excellent bargaining chips. IF [ sic ] it is confirmed that Iran's Qods Force was responsible, the news that the United States has authorized the death or captured [ sic ] of Iranian agents inside Iraq, as well as in Afghanistan and Lebanon makes all the more sense. On July 2, 2007, the U.S. military said that information from captured Hezbollah fighter Ali Musa Daqduq established
2046-528: The Islamic State. The Islamic State switched to guerrilla "hit and run" tactics in an effort to undermine the Iraqi government's effort to eradicate it. This conflict is interpreted by some in Iraq as a spillover of the Syrian Civil War . Other Iraqis and observers see it mainly as a culmination of long-running local sectarianism, exacerbated by the 2003–2011 Iraq War , the subsequent increase in anti-Sunni sectarianism under Prime Minister al-Maliki, and
Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq - Misplaced Pages Continue
2112-505: The Islamic State. Four days later, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the self-proclaimed caliph of the new Islamic State, said that Muslims should unite to capture Rome in order to "own the world." He called on Muslims all over the world to unite behind him as their leader. On 24 July, ISIL blew up the Mosque and tomb of the Prophet Yunus (Jonah) in Mosul, with no reported casualties. Residents in
2178-420: The Islamic State. Between 4–9 June 2014, the city of Mosul was attacked and later fell ; following this, Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki called for a national state of emergency on 10 June. However, despite the security crisis, Iraq's parliament did not allow Maliki to declare a state of emergency; many legislators boycotted the session because they opposed expanding the prime minister's powers. Ali Ghaidan,
2244-606: The Mahdi Army, he asked AAH (and other Special Groups) to join, but they declined. AAH has claimed responsibility for over 6,000 attacks in Iraq including the October 10, 2006 attack on Camp Falcon , the assassination of the American military commander in Najaf , the May 6, 2006 downing of a British Lynx helicopter and the October 3, 2007 attack on the Polish ambassador . Their most known attack, however,
2310-434: The March 2004 Ashura massacre and the uprising of Muqtada al-Sadr 's Mahdi Army across southern Iraq the following month. Prior to the 20 January raid, only 33 Coalition soldiers had been killed in Karbala province, constituting just over 1% of total coalition fatalities in Iraq. The attack was perpetrated by "nine to 12 militants posing as an American security team ... [who] traveled in black GMC Suburban vehicles —
2376-567: The Mosul Dam. On 31 August, the United States, France, United Kingdom and Australia began humanitarian aid drops of food, water and medical supplies to help prevent a potential massacre against the Shia Turkmen minority in Amirli. The US also carried out air strikes on ISIL positions around and near Amirli. Iraqi officials stated that they had reached Amirli and broken the siege and that the military
2442-455: The PJCC compound and the capture of four of the five soldiers, were not released until a week later. Four individuals suspected of participating in the raid were detained on January 22 by U.S. troops and Iraqi security forces . The mastermind behind the attack, Azhar al-Dulaimi , was killed on May 19, 2007, by U.S. forces during a raid north of Baghdad. According to two unnamed U.S. officials,
2508-684: The PMF units were officially integrated into Iraqi security forces in 2018. AAH has claimed responsibility for over 6,000 attacks on U.S.-led Coalition forces between 2006 and 2011, seeking to drive U.S. forces out of Iraq. The militia's main tactic was to plant IEDs along the roads used by U.S. forces. These lethal roadside bombs killed and wounded hundreds of Coalition troops. Other tactics include sniper attacks, kidnappings, rocket and RPG attacks. Since 2011, AAH has assassinated Iraqi political opponents, killed civilian protesters, and continued attacks on U.S. diplomatic and military presence. In 2017, AAH created
2574-529: The Pentagon is examining the possibility that the raid was supported or conducted by Iranians. In a speech on January 31, 2007, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki stated that Iran was supporting attacks against Coalition forces in Iraq and some Iraqis suspect that the raid may have been perpetrated by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps 's Qods Force in retaliation for the U.S. raid on
2640-511: The administrative center of the Salahuddin Governorate, with the ultimate goal of capturing Baghdad , the Iraqi capital. ISIL was believed to have only 2,000–3,000 fighters up until the Mosul campaign, but during that campaign, it became evident that this number was a gross underestimate. There were also reports that the number of Sunni groups in Iraq that were opposed to the predominantly Shia government had joined ISIL, thus bolstering
2706-533: The agents to pass as American troops, resources to provide for weapons, vehicles, uniforms, identification, radios and other items needed to successfully carry out the mission. Hezbollah's Imad Mugniyah executed a similar attack against Israeli forces on the Lebanese border, which initiated the Hezbollah-Israeli war during the summer of 2006 … Mahawil (where abandoned vehicles & the victim's bodies were found)
Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq - Misplaced Pages Continue
2772-625: The area said that ISIL had erased a piece of Iraqi heritage. Jonah's tomb was an important holy site in the Jewish heritage as well. A few days later, ISIL also blew up the Nabi Shiyt (Prophet Seth ) shrine in Mosul . Sami al-Massoudi, deputy head of the Shia endowment agency which oversees holy sites, confirmed the destruction and added that ISIL had taken artifacts from the shrine to an unknown location. In an August offensive , ISIL captured Sinjar after it
2838-478: The attack and left the compound with their prisoners, heading east toward neighbouring Babil province. Shortly after crossing the Euphrates River , the militants, who were then being followed by U.S. attack helicopters, shot their four captives and abandoned five vehicles along with uniforms, equipment, and a rifle. Three soldiers were found later by Iraqi police with gunshot wounds to their chests near Bu-Alwan,
2904-538: The cities of Fallujah , Al Qaim , and half of the provincial capital of Ramadi . ISIL forces also infiltrated Abu Ghraib in Baghdad Governorate . In early June 2014, following further large-scale offensives in Iraq , ISIL and their allies seized control of Mosul , the second most populous city in Iraq, the nearby town of Tal Afar and most of the surrounding Nineveh Governorate . ISIL also captured parts of Kirkuk and Diyala Governorates and Tikrit ,
2970-701: The damage caused by protesters were several AAH offices which were set on fire. During protests in Iraq in 2019, Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq (AAH) combatants reportedly opened fire on demonstrators attempting to set fire to the group's office in Nasiriyah , killing at least nine individuals. On 3 January 2020, the United States Department of State designated AAH a foreign terrorist organization (FTO) along with two of its leaders. Qais al-Khazali and his brother Laith al-Khazali were designated Specially Designated Global Terrorists . The sanctions were imposed in view of
3036-547: The end of the month. In addition, Australia offered 200 special forces to the Kurds and 600 Australian troops landed in the UAE. The following month, Australia authorized its special forces troops to go to Iraq as part of the anti-ISIL coalition that day, as well as authorizing airstrikes. In mid-October ISIL forces captured the city of Hīt after the 300-strong Iraqi Army garrison abandoned and set fire to its local base and supplies. As
3102-577: The ensuing bloody crack-down on the 2012–2013 Iraqi protests . The Iraqi Armed Forces , Kurdish Peshmerga and various Turkmen Muslim , Assyrian Christian , Yezidi , Shabaki , and Armenian Christian forces faced the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant . Although some 35,000 Kurdish Peshmerga were incorporated into the Iraqi Armed Forces, most Peshmerga forces operated under the command of
3168-634: The group numbers. However, the Kurds —who are mostly Sunnis—in the northeast of Iraq, were unwilling to be drawn into the conflict, and there were clashes in the area between ISIL and the Kurdish Peshmerga . On 12 June 2014 ISIL killed 1,700 unarmed Iraqi Air Force cadets who were caught trying to flee to safety and released many images of mass executions via its Twitter feed and various websites. In late June, ISIL militants captured two key crossings in Anbar,
3234-606: The kidnapping of Peter Moore, over 250 of which have been released by the Iraqi authorities. On July 21, 2010, General Ray Odierno said Iran was supporting three Shiite extremist groups in Iraq that had been attempting to attack US bases. One of the groups was AAH and the other two were the Promised Day Brigade and Ketaib Hezbollah. In December 2010 it was reported that notorious Shi'a militia commanders such as Abu Deraa and Mustafa al-Sheibani were returning from Iran to work with AAH. Iranian Grand Ayatollah Kazem al-Haeri
3300-430: The militants parked their (at least) five SUVs near the city's Provisional Joint Coordination Center (PJCC) main building. The attackers' convoy divided upon arrival, with some vehicles parking at the back of the main building others parking in front. The commandos first used homemade explosive to burn the two security vehicles outside. Then they entered the building using fragmentation grenades in an attempt to isolate
3366-445: The most powerful members of the Popular Mobilization Forces . It has recruited hundreds of Sunni fighters to fight against ISIS. The group receives funding, training, weapons and guidance from Iran 's Revolutionary Guards ' Quds Force as well as Iranian-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah . By March 2007, Iran was providing the network between $ 750,000 and $ 3 million in arms and financial support each month. Abu Mustafa al-Sheibani ,
SECTION 50
#17328762181683432-501: The mountain range reached Peshmerga lines, thus linking their two fronts. The next day, the YPG broke through ISIL lines, thus opening a corridor from Syria to the town of Sinjar. By the evening, the Peshmerga took control of much of Sinjar. In late January, the Iraqi armed forces recaptured the entire province of Diyala from the Islamic State. Furthermore, 21 January saw the launching of
3498-402: The partial ISIL siege of the Sinjar Mountains. In less than two days, the siege was broken. After ISIL forces retreated, Kurdish fighters were initially faced with the clearing out mines around the area, but quickly opened a land corridor to those mountains, enabling Yazidis to be evacuated. The operation left 100 ISIL fighters dead. Later on 21 December, Syrian Kurdish YPG fighters south of
3564-681: The rally the names of its candidates for the parliamentary election. At the election, the Al-Sadiquun Bloc won just one seat out of 328 seats in the Iraqi Parliament. AAH took part in the 2018 Iraqi parliamentary election as part of the Fatah Alliance. AAH's strength was estimated at 3,000 fighters in March 2007. In mid-2008, Multinational Forces-Iraq declined to provide an estimate on the size of AAH, but noted that “their numbers have significantly dwindled because hundreds have been captured, killed, ran away or simply gave up their criminal lifestyles.” In July 2011, however, officials estimated there were less than 1,000 AAH militiamen left in Iraq. The group
3630-407: The systematic destruction of the Yazidi people by the Islamic State was genocide. The Arab League also accused the Islamic State of committing crimes against humanity. On 13 August, US airstrikes and Kurdish ground forces broke the ISIL siege of Mount Sinjar. Also, five days later, Iraqi Special Operations Forces with Kurdish Peshmerga and US air support, overran ISIL militants and reclaimed
3696-467: The two officers. They then stormed into a room the Americans used as a barracks room, attacking with grenades and small arms fire. Once the soldiers in the room were isolated they proceeded to capture two U.S. soldiers, 1LT Jacob Noel Fritz and CPT Brian Scott Freeman. They pulled two more soldiers, PFC Shawn Patrick Falter and SPC Jonathan Bryan Chism out of an armored humvee , at the entrance. One soldier, PVT Jonathon Miles Millican, died by jumping on
3762-449: The type used by U.S. government convoys — had American weapons, wore new U.S. military combat fatigues, and spoke English." According to one Iraqi official, the militant team was led by a blond-haired man. The attack occurred as the U.S. military continued preparations to leave. About 30 U.S. troops were inside the compound at the time. After being waved through the last of three checkpoints manned by Iraqi security forces at around 17:45,
3828-454: The violent suppression of civil protests in Iraq by Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq. AAH's Syrian branch is called the Haidar al-Karar Brigades , and led by Akram al-Kaabi, AAH's military leader stationed in Aleppo . al-Kaabi is also the founder and leader of the militant group Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba . The group initially fought under the banner of al-Abbas Brigade (a mixed Syrian, Iraqi and Lebanese Shia organization), but split in 2014 following
3894-467: Was abandoned by the Peshmerga , and a number of other towns in the north of the country. Almost 200,000 civilians, mostly Yazidis , managed to flee from the fighting in Sinjar city, about 50,000 of them fled into the Sinjar Mountains , where they were trapped without food, water or medical care, facing starvation and dehydration. They had been threatened with death if they refused conversion to Islam. A UN representative said that "a humanitarian tragedy
3960-475: Was Khazali's advisor was in charge of their relations with Hezbollah. After these arrests in 2007, Akram al-Kaabi, who had been the military commander of the Mahdi Army until May 2007, led the organisation. In May 2007, AAH kidnapped British IT expert Peter Moore and his four bodyguards. They demanded the release of all their fighters being imprisoned by the Iraqi authorities and US military in return for his release. His four bodyguards were killed, but Moore himself
4026-431: Was an armed conflict between Iraq and its allies and the Islamic State . Following December 2013, the insurgency escalated into full-scale guerrilla warfare following clashes in the cities of Ramadi and Fallujah in parts of western Iraq, and culminated in the Islamic State offensive into Iraq in June 2014, which lead to the capture of the cities of Mosul , Tikrit and other cities in western and northern Iraq by
SECTION 60
#17328762181684092-434: Was fighting to clear the areas around the town. This is known to be the first major turning point against ISIL in Iraq . In September, the United States sent an additional 250 troops to protect American personnel, while the first engagement of the British military against ISIL targets took place when a British Panavia Tornado jet dropped a Paveway IV bomb on "a heavy weapon position" operated by ISIL in northwest Iraq at
4158-400: Was founded and became one of the Special Groups which operated more independently from the rest of the Mahdi Army. It became a completely independent organisation after the Mahdi Army's disbanding after the 2008 Shi'a uprising . In July 2006, A part of AAH fought alongside Hezbollah in 2006 Lebanon War against Israel . In November 2008 when Sadr created the Promised Day Brigade to succeed
4224-578: Was identified as the group's spiritual leader. In August and September 2012, AAH started a poster campaign in which they distributed over 20,000 posters of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamenei throughout Iraq. A senior official in Baghdad's local government said municipal workers were afraid to take the posters down in fear of retribution by AAH militiamen. In July 2014, AAH militiamen killed 29 prostitutes in Baghdad's Zayouna neighborhood. In late 2018, protests in Basra, Iraq saw several Iran-related organizations being targeted. Among
4290-401: Was off-set in late May, by ISIL's capture of the provincial capital of Ramadi in Anbar Governorate. On 17 July, a suicide bomber detonated a car bomb in a crowded marketplace in the city of Khan Bani Saad during Eid al-Fitr celebrations, killing 120–130 people and injuring 130 more. Twenty more people were reported missing since the bombing. On 13 August, a suicide bomber detonated
4356-429: Was released when AAH's leader Qais al-Khazali was released in January 2010. Prior to Qazali's release, security forces had already released over 100 of the group's members including Laith al-Khazali. In 2008 many of the group's fighters and leaders fled to Iran after the Iraqi Army was allowed to re-take control of Sadr City and the Mahdi Army was disbanded. Here most fighters were re-trained in new tactics. It resulted in
#167832