Special Groups (Iraq)
Special Groups is a designation given by the United States military to the cell-based Shi'a paramilitary organizations operating within Iraq. The USA states these groups are funded, trained, and armed by the Iranian Quds Force, part of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. According to the United States Department of Defense, 603 American troops in total were confirmed to have been killed by IRGC-backed Shia militias during the Iraq War.
According to US General Kevin J. Bergner, the Special Groups receive between 750,000 and 3,000,000 dollars funding per month from the Quds Force. These groups are separate from but allied with the Mahdi Army of Muqtada al-Sadr. The distinction between these groups and the Mahdi Army became more clear when al-Sadr called for a ceasefire at the end of August 2007 following Mahdi Army clashes with Iraqi Security Forces in Karbala but the Special Groups continued fighting. After the Mahdi Army's disbandment in 2008, the Promised Day Brigades emerged as its successor; however, the largest special group to emerge after the Iraq spring fighting of 2008 was Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq. According to the Guardian newspaper in March 2014, Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq was controlled by Iran under Quds Force General Qasem Soleimani, who was killed in 2020. Another large special group is Kata'ib Hezbollah which started to operate independently from the Mahdi Army and the other Special Groups. Suspected leaders include Qais al-Khazali, Laith al-Khazali, Ali al-Lami, Azhar al-Dulaimi, Akram al-Kaabi, Abu Mustafa al-Sheibani, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis and Abu Deraa.
History
Since the Islamic Revolution, Iran has sought to back Shia Islamist paramilitary organizations across the Middle East. Many have been close to the Iranian state, particularly the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, like the Movement of Vanguard Missionaries and the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq. During the Iran–Iraq War many of these groups fought for Iran, with SCIRI's Badr Brigade being led by Iranian officers. After the US-led overthrow of Saddam Hussein, these Iranian-led militia men returned to Iraq where they retained their autonomy and Iran continued to support Shia Islamist paramilitaries.In February 2010, Asaib Ahl al-Haq kidnapped U.S. contractor Issa T. Salomi, a naturalized American from Iraq. They released a video of him where he read their demands, calling for the release of all the group's members, including several of the group's leaders who were imprisoned. He was released in March 2010 in exchange for four AAH militants being held in Iraqi custody. Iran supported three Shiite groups in Iraq that tried to attack American bases, stated Commander of US forces in Iraq, US General Ray Odierno, on July 21, 2010, during the Occupation of Iraq (2003–2011). The Iranians have "gone to a more sophisticated program with a smaller set of extremists" and are now focusing on three groups, which he identified as Kataib Hezbollah, Asaib Ahl al-Haq, and the Promised Day Brigade.
As of 2011, according to American officials, the Promised Day Brigades was the largest, with over 5,000 fighters. It posed the biggest, long-term security threat to Iraq. Kata'ib Hezbollah was said to have around 1,000 fighters: it was the most reliant on Iranian support. Asa'ib al-Haq was said to have less than 1,000 fighters as of 2011: it received a reported 5 million per month in Iranian funding. The Promised Day Brigades was said to receive the least amount of Iranian funding: it was the most independent of the three.
At the start of the Iraqi war against ISIS, the Special Groups joined the Popular Mobilization Forces to fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.