Militia

Iranian-backed militias claim 30 killed, wounded in US airstrikes on base

Up to 30 fighters from Iran-backed PMF were reportedly killed or wounded in US airstrikes on their base in Anbar province, Iraq, including operations commander Saad Dawai.

|BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
A funeral ceremony is held at Al-Hussein Al-Askari Hospital for members of Popular Mobilization Forces who were killed in an attack in Al Anbar Province near the Syria border in Baghdadi Iraq on March 16, 2026.
People gather during the funeral of two Kurdish opposition fighters in Erbil, in Iraq's Kurdistan Region, on March 18, 2026, after their base was targeted in a drone attack that also wounded others.

Iran-backed militias strike Kurdistan, killing Peshmerga in northern Iraq

Iran and its militias struck northern Iraq, killing six Peshmerga and wounding 19, as attacks on the Kurdistan Region escalate amid the wider Middle East conflict.

|BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Members of the Hashd al-Shaabi gather in Basra, southern Iraq, to hold a memorial ceremony for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, carrying Khamenei posters and Hashd al-Shaabi and Kataib Hezbollah flags while chanting slogans in support of Iran on March 08, 2026.

Iranian-backed militia in Iraq sends mixed messages about new attacks - analysis

Kataib Hezbollah said it might pause attacks on US targets in Iraq, but its strict and unlikely conditions suggest strikes could resume soon.

|BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
A man lifts a placard depicting slain Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani (L) and Iraqi commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis during a Baghdad funeral march rally for Iran-backed Iraqi militias, led by Kataib Hezbollah, December 4, 2023; illustrative.

Senior Iran-backed Iraqi militia official killed, Kataib Hezbollah not confirming circumstances

Kataib Hezbollah confirms the death of Abu Ali al-Askari, a senior member and militia spokesperson, who frequently criticized the US and Israel, while not confirming the cause of his death.

|ByJAMES GENN

Rising militia strikes leave Washington with few good choices in Iraq - analysis

The US Embassy in Baghdad has been warning US citizens in Iraq about threats for two weeks, since the US and Israeli strikes on Iran began on February 28.

MARCH 15, 2026BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
A member of the Iraqi security forces mans a turret while on guard during a funerary procession for a slain member of Iraq's Hashed al-Shaabi, who was killed in a US-Israeli air strike in Mosul the previous evening, in Baghdad on March 8, 2026.

Iran-backed militias escalate drone attacks on US, Kurdistan targets in Iraq

Iran is also targeting Kurdish opposition groups in the Kurdistan Region of northern Iraq.

MARCH 15, 2026BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Iraqi security forces stand guard during a funerary procession for a slain member of Iraq's Hashed al-Shaabi, or the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) in Baghdad on March 8, 2026.

Iran-backed militias in Iraq suffer increased losses as airstrikes hit multiple bases

The most recent attacks have targeted a camp of the PMF in Qaim in western Iraq on the border with Syria. Ten members of the group were killed.

MARCH 12, 2026BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Iraqi security forces stand guard during a funerary procession for a slain member of Iraq's Hashed al-Shaabi, or the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) in Baghdad on March 8, 2026.

Iraq under pressure to curb Iran-backed militias after Rubio call - analysis

Iraq is now at a crossroads. Iran is increasingly turning Iraq into a battlefield. Iraq appears unwilling to rein in the militias in Iraq. Iraqis know the situation is dire.

MARCH 10, 2026BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
A protester holds an image of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite armed groups attempt to move toward the US embassy located in Baghdad's Green Zone, while riot police deploy to block their advance, in Baghdad, Iraq, March 1, 2026.

The Kurds' moment: Why Iran’s Kurdish opposition thinks history is turning in its favor

MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS: Kurdish groups in Iran and Iraq have faced incredible hardships. They have persevered. Now they sense that their moment has arrived.

MARCH 1, 2026BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
KURDISH GEN. Hussein Yazdanpanah, whom the writer first met almost a decade ago, has been fighting for Kurdish sovereignty for years.

Iranian-backed militias in Iraq struck by missiles, possibly of Israeli origin - report

Iraqi Shiite militias linked with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, including Kataib Hezbollah and other Popular Mobilization Forces groups, were targeted in Israeli strikes, local media claims.

FEBRUARY 28, 2026BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Iraqi Shi'ite Muslim men from the Iranian-backed group Kataib Hezbollah wave the party's flags as they walk along a street painted in the colours of the Israeli flag during a parade marking the annual Quds Day, or Jerusalem Day, on the last Friday of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, in Baghdad

Pakistan arrests dozens amid fears of rising insurgent attacks after air strikes

Pakistan carried out air strikes on targets in Afghanistan over the weekend on what it said were militant targets responsible for a spate of recent suicide bombings on Pakistani soil.

FEBRUARY 25, 2026ByREUTERS
FILE PHOTO: Residents gather as machinery clears the debris of a damaged house, following the Pakistani air strikes, in Nangarhar, Afghanistan, February 22, 2026.

Iranian citizens' freedom may depend on cooperation with Israel, PJAK commander says

Peyman Vian, commander of Iranian-Kurdish PJAK, leader of the "most powerful" guerrilla force fighting the Islamic Regime, was interviewed by Israeli journalist Itai Anghel.

FEBRUARY 20, 2026ByLARA SUKSTER MOSHEYOF
Fighters from the Kurdistan Free Life Party (PJAK), an Iranian Kurdish opposition group, are pictured near the border with Iran in Iraq's Kurdistan Region, in the outskirts of Sulaimaniya, Iraq, June 21, 2025.

PA drafts constitution, omits Jewish ties to Jerusalem, calls for Sharia legal system

The draft constitution also called for the "right of return" for refugees, caring for families of "martyrs, prisoners, and exiles," and reaffirming the PLO's position as representing Palestinians.

FEBRUARY 13, 2026ByJAMES GENN
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas addresses the general Conference of Fatah Youth in Ramallah, with a backdrop including a portrait of Abbas and Yasser Arafat, November 27, 2025; illustrative.

Israeli-backed Palestinian militia says it killed two Hamas operatives in southern Gaza

The militia shared a photo that it said depicted one of the slain men.

JANUARY 7, 2026ByREUTERS
Several Hamas terrorists stand guard near a scene as Gazans gather to watch the release of Israeli hostage Agam Berger to a Red Cross team in Jabaliya on January 30, 2025.