MESOP INSIGHT : QASSEM SOLEIMANI & FRIENDS / IRANIAN TROOPS IN IRAQ

Hashd Al-Shaabi Composed of Over 60 Militia Groups – Most of the militia groups are backed by Iransituation

Hashd al-Shaabi Shi’ite, the largest militia group in Iraq, is composed of over 60 brigades and units, each of which is overseen by a faction or a leader and most of them are backed by Iran.

The documents obtained by BasNews show that Hashd al-Shaabi consists of 66 different brigades and units each of which under a name. Among those groups are Badr Organization, Asaib Ahl Haq, Saraya Salam, al-Nujabaa Movement, Saraya Khurasani, Said al-Shuhadaa Brigade, Imam Ali Brigades, Saraya al-Jihad, Ali Akbar Regiment, Jund al-Imam Brigade, Iraqi Hizbollah, and others.

According to the documents, most of the components of Hashd al-Shaabi are backed by Tehran and the Iranian political and religious leaders. Nouri al-Maliki, the leader of Dawa Party and former Iraqi PM, is also supporting most of the militia groups for his own political interests.Hashd al-Shaabi, also known as Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) is one of the largest militias in Iraq consisting of over 60 militia groups. It was established in 2014 with a fatwa (jurisdiction) of the grand Shi’ite cleric in Iraq Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani to fight the Islamic State (IS).The militia has often been reported by Amnesty and Human Rights Watch for committing war crimes in different parts of Iraq. However in late 2016, the Iraqi parliament recognized the militia as a national armed force. www.mesop.de