Dozens of Iranian-Backed Shia Militias
21 May 2019 – The Washington Institute for Near East Policy has launched the Shia Militia Mapping Project, an interactive website that tracks dozens of Iranian-backed Shia militias across the Middle East.
Washington Institute Soref Fellow Phillip Smyth, creator of the website, uses social media, interviews, and press reports as primary sources to provide a thoroughly documented, regularly updated, interactive presentation focused on the military, social, and political movements of these groups. Users can explore in detail the location, size, strength, and activities of Shia militias.
Smyth explains that for decades, Shia militias have altered the sociopolitical and military landscape of the Middle East. As of 2019, more than a hundred different Shia groups and subgroups, the primary drivers of Iranian influence, are operating in Iraq and Syria.
He points out that despite the impact of these groups, many existing regional maps neglect or downplay the detail related to specific Shia organizations due to the complexity of the battlefronts, the number of belligerents involved, and Iran’s involvement in these conflicts. This approach has fundamentally altered perceptions not only of the ongoing wars in the region but, more importantly, of Iran’s propensity for using proxies. The Shia Militia Mapping Project is intended to rectify this lack of data.
Author of The Shiite Jihad in Syria and Its Regional Effects and creator of Hizballah Cavalcade, the premier blog covering Shia militia movements, Smyth pioneered some of the earliest research utilizing social media to identify new militant groups and leadership in Bahrain, Iraq, and Syria. He is frequently sought out by U.S. officials for extensive briefings on his mapping project.