| Special Groups | |
|---|---|
| Leaders | Muqtada al-Sadr Qais al-Khazali |
| Dates of operation | 2007–2011 |
| Headquarters | Sadr City |
| Active regions | Sadr City and southern Iraq |
| Ideology | Shi'a Islamism |
| Size | 7,000+[1] (2011) |
| Part of | Mahdi Army (until 2008) Iraqi insurgency |
| Allies | Mahdi Army Iran (claimed by US) Syria Russia Hezbollah (claimed by US) |
| Opponents |  Coalition (until 2009) United States  Iraqi Security Forces (until 2011) Sunni Insurgents Free Syrian Army |
| Battles and wars | |
Special Groups (SGs) is a designation given by the United States military to the cell-based Shi'a paramilitary organizations operating within Iraq, According to the United States these groups are funded, trained, and armed by the Iranian Quds Force, part of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).[2]
According to American General Kevin J. Bergner, the Special Groups receive between 750,000 and 3,000,000 dollars funding per month from the Quds Force.[3] 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 (also known as the Khazali Network). 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.[4] Another large special group is Kata'ib Hezbollah (or Hezbollah Brigades) 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.
- ^ "US officials name 3 Iraqi militias armed by Iran to kill yanks". Iran Times. 7 July 2011. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
- ^ "Iran killed more US troops in Iraq than previously known, Pentagon says". Militarytimes.com. 6 April 2019. Retrieved 2021-11-19.
- ^ "The Official Website – United States Forces – Iraq". Archived from the original on July 17, 2011. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ Controlled by Iran, the deadly militia recruiting Iraq's men to die in Syria, The Guardian, 12 March 2014