Private militias in Iraq

The term militia in contemporary Iraq refers to armed groups that fight on behalf of or as part of the Iraqi government, the Mahdi Army and Badr Organization being two of the biggest. Many predate the overthrow of Saddam Hussein, but some have emerged since, such as the Facilities Protection Service.

Since the 2014 collapse of the Iraqi army in the North of Iraq against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, and the fatwa by the Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani calling for jihad or ''hashad shaabi'' ("popular mobilization")According to another source "Hashed al-Sha'abi" is the name for "the coalition of militias which are now doing most of the fighting against Isil outside Kurdish areas" (source: ) against ISIL, militias have become even more prominent in Iraq.

Sustenance

According to Eric Davis, professor of Middle East politics at Rutgers University, "They get some salary, they get a rifle, they get a uniform, they get the idea of belonging, protection from a group." However, he also notes that "People in ahdi Armyonly get sporadic incomes. It's also very dangerous. You might be fighting another militia, such as the Badr organization, or worse the American army or the Iraqi army." It is stated that Iran is backing the militias.

The militias have also received American weapons, which were handed over to them from the Iraqi government.

List of militias

*'' Asa'ib Ahlulhaq'' عصائب الحق
*'' Saraya Tali'a Al Khurasani'' سرايا طليعة الخراساني ( ar)
*'' Kata'ib Sayed Al Shuhada''' كتائب سيد الشهداء
*'' Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba '' حركة حزب الله النجباء
**''Liwa'a Ammar Bin Yaser'' لواء عمار بن ياسر
*'' Kata'eb Hizbullah'' كتائب حزب الله
*''Peace Companies'' سرايا السلام
*'' Failaq al Wa'ad Al Sadiq'' فيلق الوعد الصادق
*''Badr Organization'' (''Military wing'') منظمة بدر - الجناح العسكري
*''Liwa Assad Allah al-Ghalib fi al-Iraq wa al-Sham'' لواء اسد الله الغالب
*''Promised Day Brigade'' لواء اليوم الموعود
*'' Saraya Al Zahra'a'' سرايا الزهراء
* Saraya Awliya Al-Dam
*'' Liwa'a Thulfiqar'' لواء ذو الفقار
*'' Liwa'a Kafeel Zaynab'' لواء كفيل زينب
*'' Saraya Ansarul Aqeedah'' سرايا انصار العقيدة ( ar)
*'' Liwa'a Al Muntadhar'' لواء المنظر
*'' Badr Al Majamee' Al Khass'ah'' بدر المجاميع الخاصة
*''Liwa Abu al-Fadhal al-Abbas'' لواء ابو الفضل العباس
*'' Saraya al-Jihad'' سرايا الجهاد
* '' Saraya Al Difaa' Al Sha'bi'' سرايا الدفاع الشعبي
*'' Kata'eb Dir' Al Shia'' كتائب درع الشيعة
*'' Hizbullah Al Tha'iroon '' حزب الله الثائرون
*'' Kata'eb Al Tayar Al Risali '' كتائب التيار الرسالي ( ar)
*'' Saraya Ashuraa' '' سرايا عاشوراء
*'' Kata'eb Malik Al Ashtar'' كتائب مالك الاشتر
*'' Harakat Al Abdal'' حركة الأبدال
*''Kata'ib al-Imam Ali'' كتائب الامام علي
*''Mukhtar Army'' جيش المختار
*''Mahdi Army'' جيش المهدي
* Babylon Brigade
*Qabdat Al-Hoda
* Usbet al-Thaireen
* Ashab al-Kahf
*Saraya Thawrat al-Eshreen al-Thaniya
*Hezbollah al-Abrar
*Kata'ib al-Ghadab
*Qassem Al-Jabarin Brigades
*Liwa Tahr al-Muhandis
*Liwa Khaybar
*Sabiqun Battalion
*Abu al-Fadhil al-Abbas Brigade

Iraqi government

Nouri al-Maliki asked political parties to dismantle their militias on 5 October 2006.Iraq political groups warned on militias
''AP via Yahoo! News'' 5 October 2006 (Link dead as of 15 January 2007) He also stressed that militias are "part of the government", that there is a "political solution", and finally that they should "dissolve themselves" because "force would not work."Rice Urges Greater Effort to Stem Violence in Surprise Baghdad Visit
''Voice of America'' 5 October 2006 He blamed the sectarian violence on "al Qaeda in Iraq". He has also condemned "Saddam Hussein loyalists". Lindsey Graham has said, "You are not going to have a political solution n Iraqwith this much violence." This has led to growing concerns about al-Maliki's unwillingness to eliminate Shia militias. The Mahdi Army, a group linked to Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, is held responsible for "execution-style killings" of 11 Iraqi troops in August 2006. Some U.S. officials posit that the militias are a more serious threat to Iraq's stability than the Sunni insurgency. Additionally, U.S.-led coalition troops have been "told hands off Sadr City because Maliki is dependent upon Sadr, the Mahdi Army." However, in late January, Maliki reversed his decisio

SCIRI refused to acknowledge own militia, the Badr Organization.

Views

Support

Due to the collapse of some segments of the Iraqi Army under the Islamic State offensive, the activity of the militias fighting the group is largely supported by the Shia majority in the country, and many among the Sunni minority.

Criticism

According to former U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad, "the existence of private militias" has loomed as "a persistent problem."Khalilzad: Crackdown under review
''CNN'' 11 July 2006

Brett H. McGurk, Director for Iraq, from the National Security Council has stated, "The Iraqi constitution makes clear that militias are illega

and the new government platform pledges to demobilize militias as one of its principal goals.... heprivate militias...purport to enforce religious law through illegal courts. "Ask the White House
10 April 2006

U.S. Senator Dennis Falcone has said, "Sectarian violence between Shiites and Sunnis is being fueled by the private militias, is now the biggest threat to stability."Senator Kennedy on "Mission Accomplished" and Supplemental Funding
''TedKennedy.com'' Moreover, U.S. Senator John Warner has urged the White House to prod Nouri al-Maliki to empower the Iraqi army to subdue the militias and stated, "It is their job, not the U.S. coalition forces' to subdue and get rid of these private militias".Lawmakers to Bush: Push Iraq on Militias
''Associated Press'' 22 October 2006 (Link dead as of 15 January 2007)

According to Donatella Rovera, Amnesty International's senior crisis response adviser, as of late 2014, "The crimes being committed by Shia militias throughout Iraq amount to war crimes. These are not one-off cases. They are systematic and widespread." These crimes target the Sunni population,Think the Islamic State is bad? Check out the 'good guys'
globalpost.com. Tracey Shelton , 17 October 2014 including ethnic cleansing in Sunni areas, particularly around the Baghdad Belts and Diyala Governorate.Inside Iraq’s ‘killing zones’
, saudigazette.com.sa.

American official, Ali Khedery, has been scathing of United States involvement with the militias, stating: "The United States is now acting as the air force, the armory, and the diplomatic cover for Iraqi militias that are committing some of the worst human rights abuses on the planet. These are "allies" that are actually beholden to our strategic foe, the Islamic Republic of Iran, and which often resort to the same vile tactics as the Islamic State itself."

According to ''The Economist'', "the militias Iran is sponsoring are in some ways the Shia mirror-image of the Sunni jihadists of Islamic State (IS)."

See also

* Private military company in Iraq
*Popular Mobilization Forces

References and notes

External links

IRAQ - PRIVATE MILITIAS MAY KEEP A ROLE
25-MAY-04, ''NEW YORK TIMES'', Despite pledges by the U.S. military to disband private militias in Iraq, American officials now seem to be resigned to working with them
THE U.S. FAILURE TO DISARM IRAQ'S MILITIAS
''New Republic'', 11 July 2005

Streaming video from ''Online Newshour with Jim Lehrer'' 16 October 2006


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{{DEFAULTSORT:Private Militias In Iraq
Iraq War
Iraqi insurgency (2003–2011)
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Politics of Iraq
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