On June 25, Iraqi forces arrested 14 militants belonging to the Iran-backed
Kata’ib Hezbollah (KH) in an anti-terrorism raid ordered by Prime Minister


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Kata’ib Hezbollah Escalates Pressure On Iraqi Government

(New York, N.Y.) – On June 25, Iraqi forces arrested 14 militants belonging to
the Iran-backedKata’ib Hezbollah
<[link removed]> (KH) in an
anti-terrorism raid ordered by Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi. The KH
members were allegedly planning an attack on Baghdad’s Green Zone, which houses
the U.S. Embassy and other diplomatic compounds. Shortly after the arrest, a
“show of force” from KH resulted in the detainees’ release to the Shiite
Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF). The following week, prominent Iraqi security
analyst Hisham al-Hashimi wasassassinated
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. KH had reportedly threatened Hashimi in November and again two weeks ago.

KH, a U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization, is considered the most
secretive Shiite militia operating in Iraq. In January 2020, its leaderAbu
Mahdi al-Mohandes
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was killed in a U.S. airstrike alongsideIslamic Revolutionary Guard Corps
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(IRGC) Quds Force leaderMajor General Qasem Soleimani
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KH, Mohandes had served in the Iraqi parliament as deputy national security
adviser to Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari and as deputy commander of the
PMF. In December 2019, KH fired more than 30 missiles at an Iraqi military base
near Kirkuk, killing a U.S. contractor and wounding four U.S. troops as well as
two members of the Iraqi security forces.


To read CEP’s Kata’ib Hezbollah resource, please click here
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The June events demonstrate how the Iraqi government continues to struggle to
establish authority over the militias within the country. Since Kadhimi’s
ascension into office this May, he has appointed an American-trained general to
head the interior ministry, which had previously been staffed by leaders of
Iranian-supported militias. Kadhimi also pledged to fight against government
corruption, which has also helped Iran gain influence in the Iraqi government.

In July 2019, Iraq’s previous Prime Minister Adil Abdul Mahdi had issued a
decree ordering the militias of the PMF, including KH, theBadr Organization
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al-Haq <[link removed]>, to choose between
full integration into the Iraqi armed forces or disarmament—with opposition to
integration meaning they be considered outlaws. It was an attempt by Abdul
Mahdi at gaining influence over the Iran-backed militias, which boast more than
120,000 fighters.

To read CEP’s Badr Organization resource, please click here
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To read CEP’s Asaib Ahl al-Haq resource, please click here
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To read CEP’s Iraq resource, please click here
<[link removed]>.

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