Kata'ib Jund al-Imam (Arabic: كتائب جند الإمام; Soldiers of the Imam Battalion) is an Iraqi Shia militant organization and the sixth brigade of the Popular Mobilization Forces.[4]
| Kata'ib Jund al-Imam | |
|---|---|
| كتائب جند الإمام | |
| Leader | Ahmed al-Asadi[1] |
| Dates of operation | 1991-Present |
| Ideology | |
| Part of | Popular Mobilization Forces |
| Allies | State allies
Non-State allies |
| Battles and wars | |
History
editThe group was originally formed as a militia during the 1991 Iraqi uprisings with help from Iran.[5] The group came back to prominence after re-grouping in Iraq to fight against the Islamic State, one of the main motives for the re-grouping was the Camp Speicher massacre.[6]
In 2014, it participated in the liberation of Jurf Al Sakhar in helping take back control of the area from the Islamic State.[7]
In 2017, the group, along with six other groups, formed the Popular Mobilization Forces as an alliance group.[8]
References
edit- ^ "Kata'ib Jund al-Imam". TRAC. 2015. Retrieved 2023-10-09.
- ^ Üngör, Ugur Ümit (2020-07-03). Paramilitarism: Mass Violence in the Shadow of the State. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-255899-2.
- ^ Smyth, Phillip; Michetti, Tim; Daniels, Owen (2017). Bahrain: Proliferating Proxy Networks (Report). Atlantic Council. pp. 26–29.
- ^ Hummel, Kristina (2019-08-08). "Iran's Expanding Militia Army in Iraq: The New Special Groups". Combating Terrorism Center at West Point. Retrieved 2023-10-10.
- ^ Al-Marashi, Ibrahim (2023-02-01). "Iraq's popular mobilisation units: intra-sectarian rivalry and Arab Shi'a mobilisation from the 2003 invasion to Covid-19 pandemic". International Politics. 60 (1): 194–213. doi:10.1057/s41311-021-00321-4. ISSN 1740-3898. PMC 8196280.
- ^ Bradley, Matt; Barnes, Julian E. (2015-04-02). "New Iraq Militias Take a Lead in Tikrit Fight". The Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2023-10-10.
- ^ "Sept. 10 deadline set for Iraqi IDPs to return home". Kurdistan 24. 2023-08-12. Retrieved 2023-10-09.
- ^ "Iran-Backed Iraqi Paramilitary Forces Form New Alliance to Contest Parliamentary Elections". Middle East Institute. Retrieved 2023-10-10.