Formed: 2006

Disbanded: Group is active

First Attack: July-August 2006: Elements of Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq fought alongside Hezbollah in the 2006 Lebanon-Israeli War (casualties unknown).[1]

Last Attack: November 2017: AAH participated in the offensive on Abu Kamal. This town is very strategically significant and enables Iran to set up a supply route from Iran to Lebanon, which facilitated Iranian assistance to Hezbollah (unknown killed, unknown wounded).[2]

Executive Summary

Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq (AAH) is an Iranian-funded Shiite militant and political organization that split off from the Mahdi Army in 2006 under the leadership of Qais al-Khazali.  The group is funded by Iran and promotes Iran’s interests in Iraq. It primarily targeted U.S. troops prior to the U.S. withdrawal from Iraq in 2011 after which point AAH rebranded itself as a political organization.  Since the rise of the Islamic State (IS) in late 2013, the AAH has been fought alongside the Iraq government against IS. In 2017 it became a member of the Fatah coalition in the Iraqi government and won 14 seats in the Iraqi Parliament.

Group Narrative

Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq (AAH) is an Iranian-funded Shiite militant organization. It is also sometimes called the Khazali Network. It formed in January 2006 by Qais al-Khazali as a splinter group from the Mahdi Army. It is often referred to as one of the Special Groups, a term used by the U.S. military to denote the Iranian-controlled Shiite militias operating in Iraq.[3] Prior to founding AAH, Khazali was the commander of a military brigade within Muqtada al-Sadr’s Mahdi Army.  However, Khazali and his followers had already begun to act independently of Sadr and the Mahdi Army by 2004.  Most notably, Khazali’s brigade continued to fight U.S. troops in the summer of 2004 despite Sadr’s orders that the Mahdi Army to lay down its arms.[4]  Khazali quickly reconciled with Sadr; however, in 2006, he was recruited by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to lead a new militia that they had recently begun training in Iraq. He and the majority of his brigade split from the Mahdi Army in early 2006, joining Iran’s newly trained militia and founding AAH. Since its inception, AAH has relied heavily on Iranian funding, training, and logistical support, and in return has acted as an Iranian proxy in Iraq, carrying out its agenda and promoting its interests.[5]

Shortly after or perhaps even simultaneously to its creation, AAH elements fought alongside its fellow Iranian-proxy organization Hezbollah in the 2006 Israel-Lebanon War.[6] AAH’s fighters performed well, having been extensively trained and funded by the Iranian Republican Guard Corps (IRGC).[7] The group was, and continues to be, under the personal supervision of Qasem Soleimani, the commander of the IRGC Quds Force, and has retained close ties with Hezbollah since its inception.[8]

Despite fighting against Israel in 2006, AAH’s main targets at the time were the U.S. coalition troops in Iraq.  Between 2006 and 2011, the group claimed responsibility for over 6,000 attacks on U.S. forces.[9] Following one particularly deadly attack in March 2007 in which five Americans were killed in Karbala, U.S. forces captured Khazali and Hezbollah commander Ali Musa Daqduq. Akram al-Kabi, a close confidante of Khazali’s and one of the AAH’s top military commanders, temporarily assumed command of the organization until Khazali’s release.  Shortly following, in 2008, Muqtada al-Sadr’s demanded that al-Kabi re-unite AAH with the Mahdi Army but he refused.[10]  Following the Iraqi Army’s seizure of Basra in 2008, many of AAH’s leaders fled to Iran. In contrast, the Mahdi Army negotiated a peace with the government.

While in Iran, exiled AAH members received additional training and logistical support from the Iranian government and IRGC.[11] AAH members who remained in Iraq continued to target coalition forces as well as the former Mahdi Army fighters who made peace with the Iraqi government.[12] In December 2009, the AAH orchestrated Khazali’s release in exchange for Peter Moore, a British computer consultant that the AAH had taken hostage along with his four bodyguards in May 2007.  Moore’s four bodyguards were killed by AAH while in captivity.[13] In February 2010 the group took another Western hostage, U.S. Department of Defense contractor Issa T. Salomi.  Salomi was released in March 2010 in exchange for the release of four AAH fighters who were being held by the Iraqi government.[14]

Following the withdrawal of American troops from Iraq in 2011, AAH reoriented itself towards politics, rebranding itself from an anti-Western Islamist militia to an Iraqi nationalist political party.  It shifted its goals from attacking U.S. troop installations to maintaining a Shiite-controlled Iraqi state, expanding Iranian influence in Iraq, eclipsing the Sadrists as the most influential Shiite group in Iraq, and providing social services to Iraq’s Shiite population. AAH also expanded its operations and established a political office in Beirut, Lebanon, where it maintained close ties to Hezbollah. Yet despite its new focus, the group did not renounce its former militancy and refused to surrender its weapon cashes to the Iraqi government.[15]

Shortly after the U.S. withdrew in 2011, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki invited the group to enter the political process.[16] In 2012, the group attempted to garner support for its pro-Iranian political agenda by launching a massive poster campaign, in which it distributed over 20,000 posters of Ayatollah Khamenei throughout Iraq.[17] It also conducted a series of assassinations of Sadrist leaders, hoping to weaken the group and take its place as the preeminent Shiite political faction in the country.[18] In the 2014 Iraqi parliamentary elections, AAH’s political party, al-Sadiqoon, allied with Maliki’s Dawlat al-Qanoon coalition and won a single seat in the parliament.[19]

From 2011-2014, the AAH also became known for its commitment to use violence on behalf of the Maliki government and for stoking sectarian violence. Following its entrance into the political process, the group quickly earned itself a reputation for being the military muscle behind Maliki’s Shiite political faction.[20]  For instance, in 2013, the Maliki government allegedly used AAH fighters to police the Anbar province in lieu of the Iraqi police.[21] Then towards the end of 2013 and into 2014, reports surfaced of AAH fighters rounding up and either jailing or executing anti-Maliki Sunni Arab tribesmen in southern and central Iraq. For instance, Human Rights Watch reported that AAH fighters killed 109 Sunni men in the outskirts of Baghdad between March and early July of 2014.[22]

During this period, the AAH has also been active in the conflicts in Syria and the fight against the Islamic State (IS).[23] AAH initially entered the Syrian civil war in 2011, fighting alongside Hezbollah to prop up the pro-Iranian Assad regime.  Other than Hezbollah, AAH is considered the most important foreign militant organization fighting for Assad. In 2013, AAH in conjunction with Kata’ib Hezbollah (KH), established Hakarat Hizb Allah al-Nujaba, a front organization used to channel AAH and KH fighters into Syria.[24] More recently, as the most powerful pro-Maliki militia in Iraq, AAH has been deployed to some of the most contested areas in Iraq in the battle against IS. For instance, the group has recently been leading the Shiite militias in the heavily contested city of Amerli.[25] Iran has continued to provide AAH with significant amounts of financial and logistical aid.  New AAH recruits are often taken to Iran for two weeks of intense training with the IRGC before being sent to the front lines. The Iranian government also pays the families of those soldiers who die in battle up to $5,000 in addition to the cost of the burial.[26]  Currently the group also seeks to shore up the Assad regime in Syria, to turn back the advance of the Islamic State (IS) in both Syria and Iraq, and to secure Iranian strategic interests.[27]

The AAH’s operations are primarily conducted under the framework of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), an alliance of Shia militant groups organized in 2014. As part of the PMF, AAH played an instrumental role in retaking ISIS territory. The PMF is an important source of influence and recruitment for the AAH—through it, the AAH gained many recruits amongst the Shia tribesman of Iraq. [28] The PMF’s enjoy widespread support among the Iraqi people and receive financial and military support from both Iran and Iraq. The PMF’s remain partially integrated in the Iraqi state system.[29]

Despite having opposed the U.S. during its occupation of Iraq, AAH shifted when the IS threat emerged. In 2015, an AAH spokesman released a statement announcing that it was willing to accept a U.S. military presence in Iraq, under the supervision of the Iraqi government.  He reiterated that AAH leadership does not trust the Americans and believes their ultimate goal is to fragment Iraq so as to increase the relative strength of Israel.[30]  In March 2016, reports surfaced that AAH was in possession of a number of U.S. vehicles and military equipment, including at least two M113 armored personnel carriers.[31] However, on March 21, 2016, AAH released a statement via its TV channel, al-Ahd, stating, “If the U.S. administration doesn’t withdraw its forces immediately, we will deal with them as forces of occupation.”  The statement is believed to have been released in response to Washington’s announcement the previous week that it had sent a detachment of the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit to Iraq to bolster coalition efforts against the Islamic State.[32]

In 2017, AAH played integral roles in multiple offensives in conjunction with the PMFs. Perhaps most notably, the AAH participated in the al-Qa’im and Kirkuk offensives against the Islamic State.[33] Photos of the al-Qa’im offensive show the AAH using expensive military equipment, and what allegedly appears to be an Iranian T-72 tank.[34] The AAH also continued their sectarian activities and reportedly raided the houses of many Sunnis in Kirkuk.[35] Despite the fact that the AAH is deploying under the PMU framework, it appears to have significant independence as AAH banners were reportedly flying over areas in Kirkuk.

Crucially, AAH also helped take the town of Abu Kamal on the eastern border of Syria in November of 2017.[36] While this episode occurred as part of the counter-ISIS program in Syria, it is illustrative of the ways that Iran has used it proxy forces to pursue strategic depth in the Middle East, particularly vis-à-vis Israel. Analysts describe this as a town of great strategic importance as it enables Iran to create a land route from Iran to Lebanon, enabling the supplying of ordnance to Hezbollah.[37] This capture served as precursor to a visit by Qais al-Khazali  to the Israel-Lebanon border with a Hezbollah escort.[38] Khazali stated that “We declare our full readiness to stand united with the Lebanese people and the Palestinian cause in the face of the Israeli occupation.”[39] An AAH spokesperson later clarified that “It’s a clear message to the Israeli entity, as well as solidarity with the Lebanese people if the Israeli entity attacks them.”[40] This appearance indicates the links between different militant groups that are supported by Iran and also the ability for movement of ordinance and forces between these groups through an Iranian-supported network.

In 2017, AAH also made significant political moves. In May 2017, the Iraqi electoral commission approved the Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq Party, replacing the previous political wing of the group called al-Sadiqoon.[41] In January of 2018, the party joined a coalition called Fatah al Mubin (Manifest Victory) which consists primarily of PMF militias supported by Iran.[42] It appears as if though this party is an Iranian attempt to gain more influence in Iraq. Spokesmen for AAH indicated a clear desire to expel US forces during the run up to the election.[43]

AAH and the Fatah coalition ended up being quite successful during the election: out of the 329 seats in the Iraqi parliament, Fatah won the second most at 47 seats, behind Muqtada al-Sadr’s Sairoon alliance (who won 54 seats). In particular, AAH won 14 of these seats.[44] The Sairoon alliance and Fatah were able to form a coalition,[45] which former Iraqi PM Abadi soon joined.[46] This three-way coalition has 143 seats, still short of the 165 seats required for a ruling bloc. Following the election, the US House of Representatives voted unanimously to pass a bill that would sanction members of AAH.[47] As of July 2018, this bill was still before the Senate.

[1] Wyer, Sam. “The Resurgence of Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq.” Middle East Security Report 7, Institute for the Study of War, December 2012. Web. 30 July 2015.

[2] Majidyar, Ahmad. "Syrian, Iranian-Led Forces Capture Abu Kamal, Threaten to Confront U.S. and S.D.F." Middle East Institute. November 8, 2017. Accessed July 2, 2018. http://www.mei.edu/content/article/io/syria-iranian-led-forces-capture-abu-kamal-threaten-confront-us-and-sdf; "The Syrian Civil War - Update 06 12 2017." Trumppendienst, December 7, 2017. Accessed July 2, 2018. https://www.truppendienst.com/themen/beitraege/artikel/der-syrische-bue….

[3] Jawad al-Tamimi. “Iraq: Who are Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq Islamists.” Islamist Gate, 6 March 2014. Web. 20 July 2015; Wyer, Sam. “The Resurgence of Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq.” Middle East Security Report 7, Institute for the Study of War, December 2012. Web. 30 July 2015; Cochrane, Marisa. “Asaib Ahl al-Haq and the Khazali Special Groups Network.” Institute for the Study of War, 13 Jan. 2008. Web. 31 July 2015.

[4] Cochrane, Marisa. “Asaib Ahl al-Haq and the Khazali Special Groups Network.” Institute for the Study of War, 13 Jan. 2008. Web. 31 July 2015.

[5] Wyer, Sam. “The Resurgence of Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq.” Middle East Security Report 7, Institute for the Study of War, December 2012. Web. 30 July 2015; Cochrane, Marisa. “Asaib Ahl al-Haq and the Khazali Special Groups Network.” Institute for the Study of War, 13 Jan. 2008. Web. 31 July 2015. 

[6] Heras, Nicholas. “Iraqi Shi’a Militia Asa’ib Ahl al Haq Expands Operations to Syria.” The Jamestown Foundation, Terrorism Monitor 12(10), 15 May 2014. Web. 31 July 2015.

[7] Mamouri, Ali. “The Rise of ‘Cleric Militias’ in Iraq.” Al-Monitor (trans. T. Huffman), 23 July 2013. Web. 30 July 2015; Heras, Nicholas. “Iraqi Shi’a Militia Asa’ib Ahl al Haq Expands Operations to Syria.” The Jamestown Foundation, Terrorism Monitor 12(10), 15 May 2014. Web. 31 July 2015.

[8] Wyer, Sam. “The Resurgence of Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq.” Middle East Security Report 7, Institute for the Study of War, December 2012. Web. 30 July 2015.

[9] Wyer, Sam. “The Resurgence of Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq.” Middle East Security Report 7, Institute for the Study of War, December 2012. Web. 30 July 2015.

[10] Cochrane, Marisa. “Asaib Ahl al-Haq and the Khazali Special Groups Network.” Institute for the Study of War, 13 Jan. 2008. Web. 31 July 2015.

[11] Mamouri, Ali. “The Rise of ‘Cleric Militias’ in Iraq.” Al-Monitor (trans. T. Huffman), 23 July 2013. Web. 30 July 2015.

[12] Jawad al-Tamimi. “Iraq: Who are Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq Islamists.” Islamist Gate, 6 March 2014. Web. 20 July 2015.

[13] “Hostage Peter Moore ‘surprised’ by Asaib Ahl al-Haq apology.” BBC News, 8 July 2014. Web. July 31 2015; Rayner, Gordon. “Peter Moore: US ‘arranged secret prisoner exchange.’” The Telegraph, 1 Jan 2010. Web. 31 July 2015.

[14] Watson, Julia. “Issa Salomi, U.S. Contractor, Recounts Iraq Kidnapping.” The Huffington Post, 25 May 2011.  Web. 30 July 2015.

[15] Wyer, Sam. “The Resurgence of Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq.” Middle East Security Report 7, Institute for the Study of War, December 2012. Web. 30 July 2015. 

[16] Wyer, Sam. “The Resurgence of Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq.” Middle East Security Report 7, Institute for the Study of War, December 2012. Web. 30 July 2015.

[17] “Iran ayatollah is poster boy for influence in Iraq.” Yahoo News, 25 September 2012. Web. 12 Aug. 2013

[18] Heras, Nicholas. “Iraqi Shi’a Militia Asa’ib Ahl al Haq Expands Operations to Syria.” The Jamestown Foundation, Terrorism Monitor 12(10), 15 May 2014. Web. 31 July 2015; Wyer, Sam. “The Resurgence of Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq.” Middle East Security Report 7, Institute for the Study of War, December 2012. Web. 30 July 2015.

[19] Heras, Nicholas. “Iraqi Shi’a Militia Asa’ib Ahl al Haq Expands Operations to Syria.” The Jamestown Foundation, Terrorism Monitor 12(10), 15 May 2014. Web. 31 July 2015. 

[20] Wyer, Sam. “The Resurgence of Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq.” Middle East Security Report 7, Institute for the Study of War, December 2012. Web. 30 July 2015.

[21] Heras, Nicholas. “Iraqi Shi’a Militia Asa’ib Ahl al Haq Expands Operations to Syria.” The Jamestown Foundation, Terrorism Monitor 12(10), 15 May 2014. Web. 31 July 2015.

[22] Heras, Nicholas. “Iraqi Shi’a Militia Asa’ib Ahl al Haq Expands Operations to Syria.” The Jamestown Foundation, Terrorism Monitor 12(10), 15 May 2014. Web. 31 July 2015. 

[23] Kirkpatrick, David. “Shiite Militias Pose Challenge for U.S. in Iraq.” 16 Sept. 2014. Web. 31 July 2015.

[24] Wyer, Sam. “The Resurgence of Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq.” Middle East Security Report 7, Institute for the Study of War, December 2012. Web. 30 July 2015; Kirkpatrick, David. “Shiite Militias Pose Challenge for U.S. in Iraq.” 16 Sept. 2014. Web. 31 July 2015.

[25] Kirkpatrick, David. “Shiite Militias Pose Challenge for U.S. in Iraq.” 16 Sept. 2014. Web. 31 July 2015.

[26] Chulov, Martin. “Controlled by Iran, the deadly militia recruiting Iraq’s men to die in Syria.” The Guardian. 12 March 2014. Web. 30 July 2015.

[27] Kirkpatrick, David. “Shiite Militias Pose Challenge for U.S. in Iraq.” 16 Sept. 2014. Web. 31 July 2015; Chulov, Martin. “Controlled by Iran, the deadly militia recruiting Iraq’s men to die in Syria.” The Guardian. 12 March 2014. Web. 30 July 2015; Heras, Nicholas. “Iraqi Shi’a Militia Asa’ib Ahl al Haq Expands Operations to Syria.” The Jamestown Foundation, Terrorism Monitor 12(10), 15 May 2014. Web. 31 July 2015.

[28] Mansour, Renad, and Faleh A. Jabar. "The Popular Mobilization Forces and Iraq's Future." Carnegie Endowment. April 2017. Accessed July 2, 2018. http://carnegieendowment.org/files/CMEC_63_Mansour_PMF_Final_Web.pdf; Ezzeddine, Nancy, and Erwin Van Ween. "Power in Perspective: CRU Policy Brief Four Key Insights into Iraq’s Al-Hashd Al-Sha’abi." Clingendael. June 2018. Accessed July 2, 2018; https://www.clingendael.org/sites/default/files/2018-06/PB_Power_in_per….

[29] Mansour, Renad, and Faleh A. Jabar. "The Popular Mobilization Forces and Iraq's Future." Carnegie Endowment. April 2017. Accessed July 2, 2018; Ezzeddine, Nancy, and Erwin Van Ween. "Power in Perspective: CRU Policy Brief Four Key Insights into Iraq’s Al-Hashd Al-Sha’abi." Clingendael. June 2018. Accessed July 2, 2018.

[30] Kirkpatrick, David. “Shiite Militias Pose Challenge for U.S. in Iraq.” 16 Sept. 2014. Web. 31 July 2015.

[31] Weiss, Caleb. “Iraqi Shia militias show US-made equipment on road to Samarra.” The Long War Journal, Threat Matrix, 4 March 2016. Web. 3 April 2016.

[32] “Iran-Backed Militia Demands Withdrawal of U.S. Force in Iraq.” Asharq Al-Awsat, 21 March 2016. Web. 3 April 2016.

[33] "PMU Asa'ib Ahl Al-Haq Participating in Al-Qa'im Offensive." ISIS Live Map. December 2017. Accessed July 2, 2018. https://isis.liveuamap.com/en/2017/3-november-pmu-asaib-ahl-alhaq-participating-in-alqaim-offensive; Cafarella, Jennifer. "Iran's Role in the Kirkuk Operation in Iran." Institute for the Study of War. November 9, 2017. Accessed July 2, 2018. http://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/iran’s-role-kirkuk-operation-iraq.

[34] "PMU Asa'ib Ahl Al-Haq Participating in Al-Qa'im Offensive." ISIS Live Map. December 2017. Accessed July 2, 2018. https://isis.liveuamap.com/en/2017/3-november-pmu-asaib-ahl-alhaq-parti….

[35] "IMIS’ Asa’ib Ahl Al-Haq Raids Houses of Sunni Kurds in Kirkuk." Baghdad Post. October 18, 2017. Accessed July 2, 2018. http://www.thebaghdadpost.com/en/story/18432/IMIS-Asa-ib-Ahl-al-Haq-rai….

[36] "The Syrian Civil War - Update 06 12 2017." Trumppendienst, December 7, 2017. Accessed July 2, 2018. https://www.truppendienst.com/themen/beitraege/artikel/der-syrische-bue….

[37] Spyer, Jonathan. "BEHIND THE LINES: WHO IS QAIS AL-KHAZALI, AND WHY SHOULD YOU CARE?" Jersualem Post, December 15, 2017. Accessed July 2, 2018. https://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Behind-The-Lines-Who-is-Qais-al-Khazali-and-why-should-you-care-518131; Majidyar, Ahmad. "Syrian, Iranian-Led Forces Capture Abu Kamal, Threaten to Confront U.S. and S.D.F." Middle East Institute. November 8, 2017. Accessed July 2, 2018. http://www.mei.edu/content/article/io/syria-iranian-led-forces-capture-….

[38] "Ran-backed Iraqi Militant Commander Visits Lebanon-Israel Border." Ynet, December 9, 2017. Accessed July 2, 2018. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5054228,00.html.

[39] "Lebanese PM Slams Visit by Iran-backed Iraqi Militia Chief to Israeli Border." The Times of Israel. December 9, 2017. Accessed July 2, 2018. https://www.timesofisrael.com/lebanese-pm-slams-iran-backed-iraqi-milit….

[40] "Lebanese PM Slams Visit by Iran-backed Iraqi Militia Chief to Israeli Border." The Times of Israel. December 9, 2017. Accessed July 2, 2018. https://www.timesofisrael.com/lebanese-pm-slams-iran-backed-iraqi-milit….

[41] "Asa'ib Ahl Al-Haq Shiite Militia Founds Political Party." Baghdad Post. May 24, 2017. Accessed July 2, 2018. http://www.thebaghdadpost.com/en/story/11011/Asa-ib-Ahl-al-Haq-Shiite-m….

[42] Toumaj, Amir, and Romany Shaker. "Iranian-backed Iraqi Militias Form Coalition Ahead of Parliamentary Elections." Long War Journal, January 25, 2018. Accessed July 2, 2018. https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2018/01/iranian-backed-iraqi-mi….

[43] Majidyar, Ahmad. "Iran-backed Asaib Ahl Al-Haq: We’ll Form next Iraqi Government and Will Expel US Forces." Middle East Institute, February 27, 2018. Accessed July 2, 2018. http://www.mei.edu/content/io/iran-backed-asaib-ahl-al-haq-we-ll-form-n….

[44] Harris, Bryant. "Congress Targets Election Winners in Iraq." Al-Monitor, May 30, 2018. Accessed July 2, 2018. https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2018/05/congress-target-winn….

[45] "Iraq's Sadr Announces Political Alliance with Pro-Iranian Bloc." Al-Jazeera, June 13, 2018. Accessed July 2, 2018. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/06/iraq-sadr-announces-political-al….

[46] "Iraqi PM Al-Abadi and Shia Leader Al-Sadr Announce Alliance." Al-Jazeera, June 23, 2018. Accessed July 2, 2018. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/06/iraqi-pm-al-abadi-shia-leader-al….

[47] Harris, Bryant. "Congress Targets Election Winners in Iraq." Al-Monitor, May 30, 2018. Accessed July 2, 2018. https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2018/05/congress-target-winn….

Disclaimer: These are some selected major attacks in the militant organization's history. It is not a comprehensive listing but captures some of the most famous attacks or turning points during the campaign.

July-August 2006: Elements of Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq fought alongside Hezbollah in the 2006 Lebanon-Israeli War (unknown killed, unknown wounded).[1]

October 10, 2006: AAH used mortars to attack American Forward Operating Base Falcon (unknown killed, unknown wounded).[2]

May 6, 2006: AAH shot down a British Lynx helicopter in Basra. (5 killed, unknown wounded).[3]

January 20, 2007: AAH militants attacked and captured the Karbala Provincial Headquarters, killing five American soldiers in the process. The Khazali brothers and Ali Musa Daqduq, who had helped to plan and lead the attack, were captured by U.S. forces shortly after (5 killed, unknown wounded).[4]

May 29, 2007: AAH forces attacked the Iraqi Finance Ministry, capturing a British contractor named Peter Moore and his four bodyguards.  AAH released Moore in December 2009 in exchange for the Iraqi Government’s release of Qais al-Khazali.  However, by the time that Moore was released, AAH had killed his four bodyguards (4 killed, unknown wounded).[5]

February 2010: AAH captured U.S. Department of Defense contractor Issa T. Salomi.  Salomi was released in March 2010 in return for the release of four of their fighters who were held by the Iraqi government (0 killed, 0 wounded).[6]

November 2011: AAH was responsible for a roadside bomb that killed the last American to die before the U.S. withdrawal in November 2011 (1 killed, unknown wounded).[7]

August 10, 2012: AAH forces captured a Sunni Mosque in the Al-Amin al-Thaniyah district of Baghdad, subsequently converting it to a Shiite mosque (unknown killed, unknown wounded).[8]

September 2012: AAH was the main force fighting against IS in the city of Amerli (unknown killed, unknown wounded).[9]

March-April 2014: According to a Human Rights Watch report, AAH killed 109 Sunni men in the villages surrounding Baghdad between March and April 2014 (unknown killed, unknown wounded).[10]

April 17, 2015: AAH killed Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri in mountains between Kirkuk and Tikrit.  Douri was Saddam Hussein’s second in command and subsequently the leader of the Jaysh al-Rijal al-Tariq al-Naqshbandia (JRTN) (1+ killed, unknown wounded).[11]

October 2017: AAH participated in the offensive on Kirkuk. It is suspected that Iran played a heavy role in the seizure of the territory (unknown killed, unknown wounded).[12]

November 2017: AAH participated in the offensive on Al-Qa’im. They were spotted using what appears to be an Iranian T-52 (unknown killed, unknown wounded).[13]

November 2017: AAH participated in the offensive on Abu Kamal. This town is very strategically significant and enables Iran to set up a supply route from Iran to Lebanon, facilitating the furnishing of ordinance to Hezbollah (unknown killed, unknown wounded).[14]

[1] Wyer, Sam. “The Resurgence of Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq.” Middle East Security Report 7, Institute for the Study of War, December 2012. Web. 30 July 2015.

[2] Wyer, Sam. “The Resurgence of Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq.” Middle East Security Report 7, Institute for the Study of War, December 2012. Web. 30 July 2015.

[3] Wyer, Sam. “The Resurgence of Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq.” Middle East Security Report 7, Institute for the Study of War, December 2012. Web. 30 July 2015.

[4] Mamouri, Ali. “The Rise of ‘Cleric Militias’ in Iraq.” Al-Monitor (trans. T. Huffman), 23 July 2013. Web. 30 July 2015; Wyer, Sam. “The Resurgence of Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq.” Middle East Security Report 7, Institute for the Study of War, December 2012. Web. 30 July 2015.

[5] Wyer, Sam. “The Resurgence of Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq.” Middle East Security Report 7, Institute for the Study of War, December 2012. Web. 30 July 2015; “Hostage Peter Moore ‘surprised’ by Asaib Ahl al-Haq apology.” BBC News, 8 July 2014. Web. July 31 2015; Rayner, Gordon. “Peter Moore: US ‘arranged secret prisoner exchange.’” The Telegraph, 1 Jan 2010. Web. 31 July 2015.

[6] Watson, Julia. “Issa Salomi, U.S. Contractor, Recounts Iraq Kidnapping.” The Huffington Post, 25 May 2011.  Web. 30 July 2015.

[7] Kirkpatrick, David. “Shiite Militias Pose Challenge for U.S. in Iraq.” 16 Sept. 2014. Web. 31 July 2015.

[8]  "عصائب اهل الحق تستولي على مساجد النواصب". Iraq News Network, 10 August 2012. Web. 12 August 2012.

[9] Kirkpatrick, David. “Shiite Militias Pose Challenge for U.S. in Iraq.” 16 Sept. 2014. Web. 31 July 2015.

[10] Kirkpatrick, David. “Shiite Militias Pose Challenge for U.S. in Iraq.” 16 Sept. 2014. Web. 31 July 2015.

[11] Sahran, Amre. “Confirmed: Izzat al-Douri, former Saddam Hussein deputy, Killed by Asa’ib al-Haq forces.” Iraqi News, 19 April 2015. Web. 30 July 2015.

[12] Cafarella, Jennifer. "Iran's Role in the Kirkuk Operation in Iran." Institute for the Study of War. November 9, 2017. Accessed July 2, 2018. http://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/iran’s-role-kirkuk-operation-iraq.

[13] "PMU Asa'ib Ahl Al-Haq Participating in Al-Qa'im Offensive." ISIS Live Map. December 2017. Accessed July 2, 2018. https://isis.liveuamap.com/en/2017/3-november-pmu-asaib-ahl-alhaq-parti….

[14] Majidyar, Ahmad. "Syrian, Iranian-Led Forces Capture Abu Kamal, Threaten to Confront U.S. and S.D.F." Middle East Institute. November 8, 2017. Accessed July 2, 2018. http://www.mei.edu/content/article/io/syria-iranian-led-forces-capture-abu-kamal-threaten-confront-us-and-sdf; "The Syrian Civil War - Update 06 12 2017." Trumppendienst, December 7, 2017. Accessed July 2, 2018. https://www.truppendienst.com/themen/beitraege/artikel/der-syrische-bue….