Militia

Iran's IRGC Quds Force head Qaani visits Baghdad, meets Shi'ite political, militia leaders - report

Iran's Quds Force head Esmail Qaani visited Baghdad to discuss Iraq's next prime minister and the future of Shi'ite militias amid US sanctions.

|ByJAMES GENN
IRGC Quds Force chief Esmail Qaani pictured in Tehran, Iran, February 17, 2026; illustrative.
A general view of the Treasury Building on day two of a partial government shutdown in Washington, DC, US, February 1, 2026.

US Treasury goes after Iranian-backed militias in Iraq

Several days ago, the US State Department’s Rewards for Justice program announced a $10 million reward for information on Ahmad al-Hamidawi, the leader of the militia Kataib Hezbollah.

|BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Mourners march in the funeral of a Kataib Hezbollah terrorist after a US airstrike on a Popular Mobilization Forces headquarters near the Iraq-Syria border, pictured in Baghdad, March 2, 2026.

US State Dept. offers $10m. reward for Hamidawi, leader of Iran-backed Kataib Hezbollah militia

The US State Department offered up to $10 million for information on Ahmad al-Hamidawi, leader of Kataib Hezbollah, responsible for deadly attacks on US facilities and the kidnapping of US citizens.

|ByJAMES GENN
Supporters of Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani’s Reconstruction and Development Coalition Party celebrate, after election results were announced in Baghdad in November 2025.

Condemnations grow after attack on Kurdistan Regional President

Meanwhile, Iraq’s Defense Ministry claimed it had unearthed rockets appearing to be Iranian-made 107 mm types that were ready to be fired at the Kurdistan Region.

|BySETH J. FRANTZMAN

Is Iran behind the drone attack against Iraqi PM? - analysis

The attack on Iraq’s Prime Minister is another step in drone warfare and is a message by pro-Iran groups in Iraq that the prime minister is not safe.

NOVEMBER 7, 2021BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Supporters of Iraqi Shiite armed groups burn portraits of Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi and Iraq security officials during a protest against the election results near the one of the fortified Green Zone entrances in Baghdad, Iraq, November 6, 2021.

Low turnout a tragedy for Iraq elections

Iraq's elections turnout is steadily sinking with 40% on Sunday compared 60% in 2014.

OCTOBER 11, 2021BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
A voter hands a ballot paper to a poll worker at a polling station, as Iraqis go to the polls to vote in the parliamentary election, in Mosul, Iraq October 10, 2021.

Will pro-Iranian militias in Iraq work more with Palestinians?

Pro-Iranian militias in Iraq may want to transfer weapons and threats closer to the border with Israel.

SEPTEMBER 19, 2021BySETH 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

Iran training terror groups to operate advanced UAVs

Terrorists from Iraq, Syria and Yemen are being trained at Kashan Base north of Isfahan.

SEPTEMBER 12, 2021ByANNA AHRONHEIM
An aerial image of the Kashan base where Iran is training militias to fly unmanned aerial vehicles.

Taliban retake three northern districts seized by Afghan militias

Bano, Deh Saleh, Pul e-Hesar in Baghlan province were taken by local militia groups in one of the first signs of armed resistance to the Taliban since their seizure of the capital Kabul on August 15.

AUGUST 23, 2021ByREUTERS
Former Mujahideen hold weapons to support Afghan forces in their fight against Taliban, on the outskirts of Herat province, Afghanistan July 10, 2021.

Taliban close in on 2 provincial Afghan capitals as US forces exit

The Taliban, fighting to reimpose strict Islamic law after their 2001 ouster by US-led forces, have stepped up their campaign to defeat the US-backed government as foreign forces withdraw.

AUGUST 6, 2021ByREUTERS
Afghan security forces keep watch at a checkpoint in the Guzara district of Herat province, Afghanistan July 9, 2021.

Iranian-backed militias in Syria are buying up real estate - report

Real estate investors reportedly target property that belongs to people who fled the fighting in Syria over the last 10 years, with ownership likely passing to foreigners or Shi’ites linked to Iran.

JULY 25, 2021BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Liwa Fatemiyoun fighters during the Palmyra offensive, Dec. 2016

For third straight day, US forces attacked in Syria, Iraq - analysis

This is the first time coordinated attacks struck US forces in both Syria and Iraq.

JULY 7, 2021BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
US SOLDIERS take cover near Tal Afar, Iraq, where Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster was in command in 2004.

Two arrested as armed militia group stands off with police in Boston

In the vehicles were about 10 people wearing military style clothes and carrying rifles and pistols, police said.

JULY 4, 2021ByREUTERS
Massachusetts State Police vehicles block Route 95 after an armed standoff between 8 to 10 militia members and police forced the closure of the U.S. interstate highway, in Wakefield, Massachusetts, U.S. July 3, 2021.

Iran digs deep in hollowed-out Syria

BEHIND THE LINES: Arab diplomatic efforts unlikely to shift Tehran’s extensive infrastructure.

JULY 1, 2021ByJONATHAN SPYER
A PICTURE of Syria’s President Bashar Assad hangs outside the parliament building in Damascus in April.