Prior to the current war between Israel and Hamas, various ‘new groups’ in Iraq were claiming attacks on U.S. forces both in Iraq and Syria as part of a bid to force them out of both countries. These groups, normally operating under the moniker of the ‘Islamic Resistance,’ have often only been identified through social media (in particular, Telegram) and have generally been careful not to disclose information about possible connections with other existing armed factions in Iraq, especially prominent pro-Iranian ones that have brigades on the registers of the Popular Mobilisation (Hashd Sha’abi) Commission (e.g. Kata’ib Hezbollah and Harakat al-Nujaba’)
After all, those brigades that are on the commission’s registers are considered part of Iraq’s armed forces and under the control of the prime minister who serves as overall commander of the armed forces. Therefore, those factions that have brigades on the commission’s registers should technically be subordinate to the Iraqi government’s command and control and should not be attacking American forces, because American forces are officially considered an ally by Iraq’s government and remain in Iraq at the invitation of the Iraqi government to help the country’s armed forces combat the Islamic State.
Until now, it has been risky at best for these factions to claim attacks on the Americans under their own name, however much they might have talked about the need to remove the American ‘occupation’ from Iraq.
Until now, it has been risky at best for these factions to claim attacks on the Americans under their own name, however much they might have talked about the need to remove the American ‘occupation’ from Iraq, because those attacks could be construed as an attacks by members of Iraq’s armed forces.
Thus, one could suppose that the ‘new resistance’ groups that have claimed attacks are in part or in whole simple fronts for the existing pro-Iranian factions in Iraq. Recent events would appear to confirm this view.
With the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war, ‘resistance’ factions in the region have tried to show their support for a ‘resistance axis’ ally (Hamas) by trying to put pressure on Israel and its main ally (the United States) in a bid to stop the Israeli bombing and ground offensive in Gaza. In Iraq, this trend has seen the emergence of a group simply called ‘The Islamic Resistance in Iraq’, which claims to have carried out dozens of attacks that can be tallied as follows so far from a pro-Kata’ib Hezbollah channel:
“Operations of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq in support of Gaza.
Iraq: 39 operations. Syria: 36 operations. The occupied territories: 3 operations.
[NB: the toll is off here, based on the numbers below, which give 41 operations in Iraq and 34 in Syria].
- Arbil airport [in Iraq]: targeted 10 times.
- al-Harir base [in Iraq]: targeted 9 ties.
- Ayn al-Asad base [in Iraq]: targeted 22 times.
- al-Shaddadi base [in Syria]: targeted 8 times.
- Conico base [in Syria]: targeted 5 times.
- al-Omar field base [in Syria]: targeted 3 times.
- al-Rumaylan base [in Syria]: targeted once.
- al-Malikiya base [in Syria]: targeted once.
- Kharab al-Jir base [in Syria]: targeted 3 times.
- Tel Baydar base [in Syria]: targeted 3 times.
- al-Khadra’ base [in Syria]: targeted 3 times.
- al-Tanf base [in Syria] targeted 6 times.
- al-Rukban base [in Syria]: targeted once.
- Dead Sea coasts: targeted once.
- Occupied Eilat inside the lands of Palestine: targeted twice.”
While the Americans were keen to avoid an escalation into a full-blown war, the repeated strikes eventually led to a more forceful American attempt to establish deterrence.
While the Americans were keen to avoid an escalation into a full-blown war, the repeated strikes eventually led to a more forceful American attempt to establish deterrence. Holding Kata’ib Hezbollah as partly responsible for the attacks on American forces, the U.S. conducted strikes on Jurf al-Sakhr, which lies south of Baghdad and serves as a key base for the Hashd Commission’s ‘al-Jazira Operations Command’ that is controlled by Kata’ib Hezbollah and extends from Jurf al-Sakhr to the Iraq-Syria border in the Anbar desert. The American strike killed multiple Kata’ib Hezbollah fighters.
Given this strike and now the temporary ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, it would appear that Kata’ib Hezbollah is now openly willing to admit its role in the ‘Islamic Resistance in Iraq’ outfit, as indicated by the following statement issued on 25 November by Kata’ib Hezbollah’s secretary general Abu Husayn al-Hamidawi:
“In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
Praise be to God who supports the believers, strengthens the oppressed and lowers the arrogant, and prayers and peace be upon our Prophet and leader Abu al-Qasim, Muhammad, and on the good and pure family of his household, and his noble companions, and on the mujahidin and just ones until the Day of Judgement.
It is among the reasons for pride and proudness that the Islamic Resistance in Iraq should participate in the battle of truth against falsehood, insisting to proceed on this path, not caring about what pressure, obstacles and attacks may harm it, bearing the price of its resistance work, remaining steadfast on the path of breaking the might of the occupation, and expelling it from Iraq.
The continuation of the occupation in transgressing on Iraq’s sovereignty and violating its airspace, whether through drone or combat espionage aircraft, or the
American ambassador’s scandalous intervention in the governmental scene, necessitates from us to change some of the rules of engagement to protect the country and cleanse it from the filth of the occupiers.
So even as we announce de-escalation of the operations against the bases of the American occupation in the region, and stopping them against the Zionist entity until the end of the ceasefire or fighting in Palestine and its borders with Lebanon, we affirm that the confrontations with the forces occupying Iraq won’t stop until Iraq is liberated, and it is a decision we will not deviate from however high the sacrifices might be.
Regards of reverence and respect to the mujahidin brothers who have participated in the jihadist military operations (Ansar Allah al-Awfiya’, Harakat al-Nujaba’, Kata’ib Sayyid al-Shuhada’, Kata’ib Hezbollah) under the banner of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq to inflict harm on the enemy, and also regards to the Islamic Republic and the resistance in Lebanon, and the men of God in Yemen of steadfastness and courage for the steadfastness of their jihadist stances, and the carrying out of the distinguished operations against the enemy. We also call on our brothers inside Iraq whose expertise is the field of jihad to join the ranks of the resistance, and to liberate the land from the assault of the occupation: “Permission to fight has been given to those who are being fought, because they have been wronged, and indeed God is able to support them.”
Thanks and appreciation for the efforts made by the Iraqi government, the political parties, and Iraq’s noble tribes, in recording the positions rejecting the American-Zionist aggression. We also offer praise for the clerics and preachers of the pulpits and the mujahidin who held a sit-in on the borders with Jordan, and all the activities in support of the Palestinian people.
Our last call is praise be to God the Lord of the Worlds. And we ask Him to make the martyrs of the Islamic Resistance and the Hashd Sha’abi join the prophets and just ones, to inspire patience in their families, reward them with the best of this world and the Hereafter, and to bestow healing on those who have attained badges of honour, the wounds of the battle against falsehood, and that they should have intercession on the day when “every soul will be given its full due for what it has earned, and they will not be done wrong.
Kata’ib Hezbollah’s secretary general Abu Husayn al-Hamidawi: 25 November 2023.”
- Ansar Allah al-Awfiya': a pro-Iranian faction that has had long-standing deployments in western Anbar near Ayn al-Assad base. It has forces registered as the 19th brigade of the commission.
- Harakat al-Nujaba': with forces registered as the 12th brigade of the commission.
- Kata’ib Sayyid al-Shuhada': a pro-Iranian faction with forces registered as the 14th brigade of the commission.
- Kata’ib Hezbollah: with forces registered as the 45th, 46th and 47th brigades.
It should also be observed that while there is a claim to adhere to the terms of the ceasefire in the sense of de-escalating attacks on the Americans and stopping attacks on Israel, and it is likely that the attempted attacks on Israel would stop on a longer-term basis if another, longer-term ceasefire would be agreed, these ‘resistance’ groups remain committed to removing the U.S. presence from Iraq regardless of the course of the Israel-Hamas war. In other words, they will simply be continuing the trend that existed prior to the war, in keeping with their long-standing objective of removing American influence from Iraq – a goal that their sponsor Iran would also like to see realized.
