The Mukhtar Army is a
Shi'a Iraqi militia group formed in February 2013 by Wathiq al-Battat, a former senior official in the
Hezbollah Brigades.
Al-Battat pledged his loyalty to the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah
Ali Khamenei.
Al-Battat was arrested briefly on 2 January 2014 but was released despite still being a fugitive. He was apparently "accidentally assassinated" at point-blank range on 20 December 2014 at a fake police checkpoint in eastern Iraq by an unknown party.
Formation
On 4 February 2013, al-Battat announced the formation of the Mukhtar Army with the stated purpose of protecting Iraq's Shi'as, and to assist the government in combating terrorism.
He stated that the Mukhtar Army would prevent any Sunnis controlled by al-Qaeda or other militant sectarian groups from attempting to topple the Shi'a-led government in Iraq.
In a phone interview with the Associated Press, Al-Battat said that the group receives weapons and other support from Iran,
and is advised by the
Quds Force
The Quds Force ( fa, نیروی قدس, niru-ye qods, Jerusalem Force) is one of five branches of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) specializing in unconventional warfare and military intelligence operations. U.S. Army's Iraq War ...
, a special unit of the
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC; fa, سپاه پاسداران انقلاب اسلامی, Sepāh-e Pāsdārān-e Enghelāb-e Eslāmi, lit=Army of Guardians of the Islamic Revolution also Sepāh or Pasdaran for short) is a branch o ...
(IRGC) that oversees its external operations.
He describes himself as a follower of
Ayatollah
Ayatollah ( ; fa, آیتالله, āyatollāh) is an honorific title for high-ranking Twelver Shia clergy in Iran and Iraq that came into widespread usage in the 20th century.
Etymology
The title is originally derived from Arabic word p ...
Ali Khamenei, the
Supreme Leader of Iran
The Supreme Leader of Iran ( fa, رهبر ایران, rahbar-e irān) is the head of state of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The Supreme Leader directs the executive system and judicial system of the Islamic theocratic government and is the co ...
.
An IRGC official dismissed suggestions it supports any armed group in Iraq, saying that such "claims are aimed at defaming the Guard. We do not see any reason to respond to such baseless claims."
A spokesperson for the Hezbollah Brigades also distanced his group from al-Battat and the Mukhtar Army, stating that al-Battat "is not affiliated with the Hezbollah Brigades in any way whatsoever."
Ahmed Abu Risha, the head of the Sunni
Anbar Salvation Council, argues that the Mukhtar Army was created with Iraqi government consent to silence
Sunni-led protests that began in December 2012.
A few days after the group's formation, the Iraqi government issued an arrest warrant against al-Battat.
Speaking on 9 February 2013, Iraqi Prime Minister
Nouri al-Maliki
Nouri Kamil Muhammad-Hasan al-Maliki ( ar, نوري المالكي; born 20 June 1950), also known as Jawad al-Maliki (), is secretary-general of the Islamic Dawa Party and was the prime minister of Iraq from 2006 to 2014 and the vice president ...
called on Iraqi citizens to cooperate with security forces in disclosing the whereabouts of al-Battat in order to arrest him as soon as possible.
Activities
Al-Battat stated that the Mukhtar Army was behind the rocket and mortar attack on 9 February 2013 that killed seven members of the Iranian opposition group
Mujahedeen-e Khalq (MEK) housed at
Camp Liberty
Camp Liberty is a former United States military installation in Baghdad, Iraq. The installation was used from 2012 to September 2016 to house members of the People's Mujahedin of Iran (PMOI, also called MEK), who had been forcibly evicted from ...
in
Baghdad
Baghdad (; ar, بَغْدَاد , ) is the capital of Iraq and the second-largest city in the Arab world after Cairo. It is located on the Tigris near the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon and the Sassanid Persian capital of Ctesiphon. I ...
. He threatened more attacks against the MEK until they leave the country.
In mid-February, threatening flyers signed by the Mukhtar Army were placed at Sunni households in Baghdad's
Jihad neighborhood. The leaflets warned "enemy" Sunnis to leave now or face "great agony". The Mukhtar Army denied responsibility for the flyers.
The Mukhtar Army has also threatened that it will "liberate" Saudi Arabia and target the
Mubarak Al Kabeer Port
Mubarak Al Kabeer Port is a port in Bubiyan Island, Kuwait. The port is currently under construction. In April 2021, the port's first phase was completed (4 berths). The port is part of the Belt and Road Initiative.
Purpose
Mubarak Al Kabeer Por ...
being constructed in Kuwait.
On 21 November 2013, the Mukhtar Army claimed responsibility for six mortar bombs fired into northern Saudi Arabia that landed near a border post. Al-Battat said, "The goal was to send a warning message to the Saudis to tell them that their border stations and patrol are within our range of fire." He also said he wanted Saudi Arabia to stop "interfering" with Iraqi affairs.
Statements
In an interview aired on 5 February 2013 on the Iraqi
Al Sharqiya Al Sharqiya ("The Eastern One") ( ar, الشرقية) is Iraq's first privately owned satellite channel owned by the London,
Baghdad and Dubai-based Iraqi media tycoon Saad al-Bazzaz, is a well-known sunni political opponent from Mosul. Al-Bazzaz ...
television channel, al-Battat stated, "Allah willing, we shall annihilate the infidel, atheist Saudi regime, and all the regimes that wage war against Islam, incite their peoples to wage war against Islam and the Prophet Muhammad, and support Israel and America.
In an interview aired on 23 October 2013 on the Iraqi
Al Sumaria
Alsumaria News ( ar, السومرية نيوز) is an independent Iraqi satellite TV network that transmits on Nilesat 102, Hot Bird 8, and NOORSAT/Eurobird. Established by a group of businessmen in 2004, it has 700 employees across Iraq, Lebanon ...
television channel, al-Battat stated, "When it comes to politics, our authority is the leader, Ali Khamenei... I am proud to be a foot soldier in the army of the leader, Sayyed Khamenei." He added, "What is important is the common enemies – the Americans and the Israelis. We must confront them with all our force. After we annihilate the Jews, we can deal with domestic matters.
References
{{Militant Islamism
War in Iraq (2013–2017)
Iraqi insurgency (2011–2013)
Paramilitary organizations based in Iraq
Shia Islamist groups
Iran–Iraq relations
Pro-government factions of the Syrian civil war
Anti-ISIL factions in Iraq
Jihadist groups in Iraq
Axis of Resistance