Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq

March 8, 2026 | Edmund Fitton-Brown, Bridget Toomey

Action on Another Front: Strikes on Pro-Tehran Militias in Iraq

Air strikes, likely conducted as part of American-Israeli operations, are hitting Iran-backed Shiite militias in Iraq, but no one is taking credit. The militias themselves claim to have launched dozens...

March 3, 2026 | Joe Truzman |

Iraqi Shiite militias claim attacks on US bases

Iran-backed Shiite militias belonging to the Islamic Resistance in Iraq (IRI) continue to claim responsibility for attacks on American bases in the region in response to US and Israeli military operations...

March 1, 2026 | Bridget Toomey |

Iraqi Shiite militias join the war between Israel, the US, and Iran with drone attacks

Iraqi militias claimed 16 drone attacks against “enemy bases in Iraq and the region” following American and Israeli airstrikes on the Islamic Republic of Iran. The United States and Israel launched a...

January 22, 2026 | Ahmad Sharawi, Bridget Toomey

Transfer of ISIS Prisoners To Iraq Exposes Fragile Nature of Ceasefire in Syria

As northeastern Syria reels from the Syrian government’s offensive into areas held by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), detained Islamic State (ISIS) fighters are being transferred to Iraq...

December 23, 2025 | Seth J. Frantzman |

Iraqi militias divided on disarming and accepting government control

The Iranian-backed Iraqi militia Kataib Hezbollah has said it will not disarm in the wake of reports that suggest armed militias in Iraq will place their weapons under state control. “The Iraqi group...

November 14, 2025 | Bridget Toomey |

Iraq’s Election Is Over, But the Real Winner Has Yet To Be Determined

The voting is done in Iraq, but that doesn’t mean there will be a new government anytime soon. The preliminary results of the November 11 election didn’t contain shocking conclusions, but neither did...

November 12, 2025 | Seth J. Frantzman |

Iraq votes in parliamentary elections amid US security talks and concerns about Iranian influence

Iraqis voted in a parliamentary election on November 11, the country’s sixth since the toppling of former President Saddam Hussein in 2003. The election, held as security forces were deployed...

September 18, 2025 | Bridget Toomey |

US designates 4 Iran-backed Iraqi militias as Foreign Terrorist Organizations

The US State Department designated four Iran-backed militias in Iraq as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) on September 17. These militias, Harakat Hezbollah al Nujaba, Kataib Sayyid al Shuhada,...

July 19, 2025 | Janatan Sayeh, Bridget Toomey

Iran and its militias brace for another conflict with Israel

The Qatari New Arab reported on July 17 that Esmail Ghaani, the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards-Quds Force (IRGC-QF), met with Tehran’s Iraqi proxies in Baghdad earlier this...

July 18, 2025 | Seth J. Frantzman |

US, UK condemn drone attacks targeting energy sites in Iraq’s Kurdistan Region

Drone attacks targeting the autonomous Kurdistan Region of Iraq increased in July, leading to condemnations by the US, UK, and various officials. “The United States condemns the recent drone attacks...

June 24, 2025 | Bridget Toomey, Joe Truzman, Bill Roggio

Iraqi military bases targeted in overnight strikes

As Israel and Iran exchanged final volleys of fire in the early hours of June 24 after US President Donald Trump brokered a still-uncertain ceasefire, unknown actors, strongly thought to be Iran-backed...

June 20, 2025 | Seth J. Frantzman |

Iranian-backed militias threaten US amid rising tensions in Iraq over Iran-Israel conflict

The Iranian-backed Kataib Hezbollah militia in Iraq has threatened to target “US interests” in the Middle East if the US intervenes in the Israel-Iran conflict, according to several regional Arabic reports. The...

June 16, 2025 | Ahmad Sharawi, Bridget Toomey

Iraqi militias largely rely on rhetoric in response to Israel-Iran conflict—for now

Iran-backed militias in Iraq have resorted mainly to words, not actions, to support Iran since direct conflict between Israel and Iran began on June 13. The statements issued by the groups have included...

June 15, 2025 | Bill Roggio |

Iran-backed Shiite militias attack US forces based in Iraq

Iran-backed Shiite militias launched three drones at a US base in western Iraq. The attack is the first of its kind reported since Israel launched a preemptive strike on Iran’s nuclear program, key leaders,...

June 13, 2025 | Bill Roggio, Bridget Toomey

US adds Iran-backed Iraqi militia Kataib Imam Ali to list of terror organizations

The US Treasury Department added Kataib Imam Ali (the “Imam Ali Brigades”) to the list of Specially Designated Global Terrorists on June 12, 2025. Kataib Imam Ali is one of the many Iraqi...

May 26, 2025 | Bridget Toomey |

Iraqi prime minister announces electoral alliance

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al Sudani announced a new alliance, the Reconstruction and Development Coalition, for the country’s November 2025 elections. Sudani is currently part of the...

April 23, 2025 | Bridget Toomey |

Major Shiite parties to run separately in Iraq’s November election amid disagreements

The Coordination Framework, the ruling Shiite alliance in Iraq, announced its intention for parties to run on separate lists in the November 11 election but reunite the coalition under the same...

April 10, 2025 | Seth J. Frantzman |

Will Iraq’s Iran-Backed Militias Disarm?

Due to Iraq’s position in the region, the armed paramilitaries increasingly present a challenge for stability.

April 8, 2025 | Seth J. Frantzman |

Iraq’s Kataib Hezbollah militia denies report it will disarm

Kataib Hezbollah has denied a recent Reuters report that stated it was considering disarming, according to numerous reports quoting the group’s statement. Kataib Hezbollah is one of the Iranian-backed...

April 2, 2025 | Bridget Toomey |

Iraq wrestles with US pressure over Iran-backed militias

The US is reportedly applying pressure on the Iraqi government and Iran to disband Iraq’s pro-Iranian militias. These efforts come amid calls from some Iraqi leaders to dissolve the militias or integrate...