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Militia Spotlight

Militia Spotlight uses open source monitoring to:
UNDERSTAND the objectives, structure, and activity of Iran-backed militias in Iraq and Syria;
EXPOSE militia information operations and disinformation campaigns;
IDENTIFY linkages between groups and with Iran to increase accountability; and
DENY anonymity and deniability to Iran-backed militias.

Visit the supplementary Militia Spotlight: Profiles hub.

Articles in this Series

Brief Analysis
How to Use Militia Spotlight
Militia Spotlight provides timely, high-quality evidence, analysis and contextualization of militia activities in Iraq and Syria, both within government agencies and outside them.
Feb 10, 2021
◆
  • Michael Knights
◆ Militia Spotlight
Qais
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Nujaba and AAH Argue Over Whether Asaib Is Still a Resistance Player
Asaib Ahl al-Haq cannot seem to decide whether it has detached from anti-U.S. militancy or not, causing other militias to tie themselves in rhetorical knots over the group's public credentials.
Jul 1, 2024
◆
  • Hamdi Malik
◆ Militia Spotlight
SAD image
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Saraya Awliya al-Dam Finds New Mission in Israel Attacks
The brand appears to have been reactivated by its parent organization, Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada, to claim certain attacks on Israel during the Gaza war.
Jun 27, 2024
◆
  • Michael Knights
◆ Militia Spotlight
HaH and Soleimani1
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Iraqi Militia Propagandist Promotes Qalibaf for Iranian President
Iraqi media official and Kataib Hezbollah member Hamid al-Husseini underlined his growing importance in the Iran threat network by issuing the endorsement—possibly as a surrogate for the IRGC-Qods Force.
Jun 18, 2024
◆
  • Hamdi Malik
  • Michael Knights
◆ Militia Spotlight
Houthi claims
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Iraqi Groups and Yemen's Houthis Claim More Joint Attacks on Israel
The Iraqi "resistance" and their Iran-backed fellow travelers in Yemen have added a new example of jointly branded attacks to their growing list of collaborative claims.
Jun 17, 2024
◆
  • Hamdi Malik
  • Michael Knights
◆ Militia Spotlight
Raisi ceremony
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Where Iraqis Landed in the Supreme Leader's Seating Plan
A ceremony held by Khamenei's office gave some clues about the pecking order of the Iraqi "resistance," with political players at the forefront and militia fighters and propagandists in the second tier.
Jun 3, 2024
◆
  • Hamdi Malik
  • Michael Knights
◆ Militia Spotlight
KFC Baghdad 2
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Kataib Hezbollah's Raba Allah Undertakes Unclaimed Attacks on U.S. Brands
The vigilante group appears to have targeted American-branded businesses in Baghdad while taking pains not to claim the attacks, which embarrassed the Iraqi government.
May 30, 2024
◆
  • Michael Knights
  • Ameer al-Kaabi
  • Hamdi Malik
◆ Militia Spotlight
Abu Fadak, Fayyadh
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
The PMF Represents Iraq at the Axis of Resistance Conference in Tehran
Iraqi militias were nowhere to be seen at the Tehran conference, but an IRGC outlet described the PMF as appearing alongside Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis, and other U.S.-designated terrorist groups.
May 24, 2024
◆
  • Hamdi Malik
  • Michael Knights
◆ Militia Spotlight
IRI drone
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
The Anti-Israel Surge by Iraqi Militants: Metrics and Trends
Although relatively few drones or missiles seem to make it to Israel, launches are steadily increasing, potentially inviting overt retaliation inside Iraq.
May 15, 2024
◆
  • Michael Knights
◆ Militia Spotlight
Take-off of claimed Saraya al-Ashtar April 27, 2024 drone attack on Israel
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Is Kataib Hezbollah Behind Saraya al-Ashtar's Claimed Attack on Israel?
The connection between exiled Bahraini terrorists and Iraq's Kataib Hezbollah is demonstrably strong and probably explains the strange incident.
May 4, 2024
◆
  • Michael Knights
  • Amir al-Kaabi
  • Hamdi Malik
◆ Militia Spotlight
Islamic Resistance in Iraq 200-day attack metrics, April 25, 2024
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq Collates a 200-Day Attack Scoreboard
The infographic deviates from recorded IRI claims in important ways, seemingly exaggerating strikes on Israel while downplaying strikes on Syria and Jordan.
May 3, 2024
◆
  • Michael Knights
◆ Militia Spotlight
Syrian Arab tribal mitiias supported by Iran, 2023
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Understanding the IRGC's Past, Present, and Future Use of Syrian Tribal Militias
Iran's development of Arab tribal militias in eastern Syria will likely accelerate again, based on the model established in Aleppo and backed by new IRGC-funded social, economic, and administrative "wings."
Apr 30, 2024
◆
  • Abdullah Hayek
◆ Militia Spotlight
LGBT
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Coordination Framework Militias Pass New Anti-LGBTQ Legislation
Although they avoided embarrassing Prime Minister Sudani during his recent Washington visit, they passed abhorrent new legislation as soon as he was back home.
Apr 29, 2024
◆
  • Michael Knights
  • Amir al-Kaabi
◆ Militia Spotlight
Kharab al-Jir
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Iraqi Militias Hit Two U.S. Sites in Iraq and Syria
Iran-backed groups have adopted tight message discipline so far, not claiming either of the attacks in order to avoid U.S. retaliation while simultaneously warning Prime Minister Sudani to keep pushing for U.S. withdrawal.
Apr 22, 2024
◆
  • Michael Knights
  • Hamdi Malik
  • Crispin Smith
  • Alex Almeida
◆ Militia Spotlight
Abu Baqr's PMF ID card, February 7, 2024
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Kataib Hezbollah Is Part of Iraq’s PMF
The U.S.-designated terrorist group is the most significant player in the Popular Mobilization Forces, which is supposed to be under the command of Prime Minister Sudani—a fact that U.S. officials sometimes forget.
Apr 15, 2024
◆
  • Michael Knights
◆ Militia Spotlight
Arqab
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Islamic Resistance in Iraq and Sabereen Highlight Anti-Israel Cruise Missile Strikes
IRI is making up for its inability to strike U.S. sites by making louder claims of more sophisticated attacks on Israel, and Sabereen News seems freer to amplify these claims.
Apr 11, 2024
◆
  • Ameer al-Kaabi
  • Hamdi Malik
  • Michael Knights
◆ Militia Spotlight
Abu Fadak
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Iraqi PMF Chief of Staff Commits to Fulfill Iranian Supreme Leader's Plans
Abu Fadak laid bare the limited extent to which his organization is under Prime Minister Sudani's sovereign control, instead identifying Iran's Ayatollah Khamenei as his commander-in-chief.
Apr 8, 2024
◆
  • Amir al-Kaabi
  • Hamdi Malik
  • Michael Knights
◆ Militia Spotlight
Askari Jordan
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
New Options for Iraq's Axis of Resistance Players (Part 2): Opening the Jordan Front
With Nujaba seemingly leading on Israel strikes, Kataib Hezbollah is signaling its intended leadership of destabilizing activities in Jordan, an increasingly important base for U.S. forces.
Apr 3, 2024
◆
  • Hamdi Malik
  • Michael Knights
◆ Militia Spotlight
Shahed-101 drone
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
New Options for Iraq's Axis of Resistance Players (Part 1): Attacks on Israel
Nujaba is signaling that it was the key player in nearly twenty strikes on Israel after the "resistance" halted attacks on U.S. bases in February.
Apr 3, 2024
◆
  • Michael Knights
  • Hamdi Malik
◆ Militia Spotlight
Hisham al-Hashemi poster held up by protestors
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Hisham al-Hashimi’s Killer Escapes Justice
A Kataib Hezbollah hit man was acquitted of all charges despite convincing evidence that he murdered the famous Iraqi commentator and civil society activist.
Mar 22, 2024
◆
  • Michael Knights
  • Hamdi Malik
  • Ameer al-Kaabi
◆ Militia Spotlight
Fayyadh
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Qais al-Khazali Calls for Faleh al-Fayyad's Removal as PMF Chairman
Asaib Ahl al-Haq is moving to get what it has long sought: a senior leadership role within the Popular Mobilization Forces, a glaring gap in its portfolio of power positions.
Mar 16, 2024
◆
  • Amir al-Kaabi
  • Hamdi Malik
◆ Militia Spotlight
Rabee Nadir
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Iraq's "Resistance" Factions Shift to Major Crackdown on Media Spaces
Having stopped “resisting” U.S. forces (who shoot back), militias are focusing on unarmed activists in what appears to be a coordinated crackdown on freedom of expression.
Feb 28, 2024
◆
  • Ameer al-Kaabi
  • Michael Knights
◆ Militia Spotlight
Ameri
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Hadi al-Ameri’s Bad(r) Month
The Badr Organization leader has suffered bruising blows from other Iran-backed militias seeking to exploit the group's internal dysfunction and divisions.
Feb 21, 2024
◆
  • Ameer al-Kaabi
  • Michael Knights
  • Hamdi Malik
◆ Militia Spotlight
Fayhan and Qassim Solemani in Jurf as-Sakr in 2014.
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
AAH Terrorist Planner Adnan Fayhan Takes Over as Babil Governor
A militia figure implicated in the 2007 murder-kidnapping of five Americans in Karbala is now the governor of an Iraqi province.
Feb 12, 2024
◆
  • Michael Knights
  • Ameer al-Kaabi
  • Hamdi Malik
◆ Militia Spotlight
Esmail Qaani with a Fatimiyoun soldier in Syria
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Explaining Apparent Muqawama De-Escalation Since January 28
Since three Americans were killed, the self-styled "resistance" has been almost inactive except for a spate of fake, foiled, and disavowed attacks, pointing to an order from Iran to calm things down.
Feb 7, 2024
◆
  • Michael Knights
◆ Militia Spotlight

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