One day
after 18 Turk nationals were abducted from a stadium construction site in
Baghdad’s Sadr City, carried out on Wednesday, September 2nd by a
group of Katayeb Hezbollah militants wearing SWAT uniforms who raided the site
with 20 bullet-proof, double axes vehicles, Baghdad Operations Command issued a
statement saying:
“On
Thursday, September 3rd, following information gathering regarding
the presence of members of a group that abducted the Turk workers, a force was
dispatched to a search and investigation mission in Palestine Avenue and
Mohandesin neighborhood 507. However, these units were attacked by Katayeb
militants attempting to prevent their advances.” These clashes began on
Thursday night during which 1 soldier was killed and three others were injured.
15 of the security forces with their HUMVEE vehicles were also taken captive by
the Katayeb forces.
On
Friday, September 4th the state-run al-Iraqiya TV cited a source in
the Interior Ministry saying Baghdad Operations Command has kept the Katayeb
base under siege. A group of militants, already embedded with the Iraqi
government, entered the scene and began inspecting the Katayeb base in place of
the security forces. They concluded that nothing was found at the site and
closed the entire case. Finally, Ahmed al-Assadi, the militants’ official
spokesman warned the Iraqi government they are not permitted to enter the
militants’ bases in Baghdad without prior coordination.
In this
piece I would like to in brief provide an insight into the status of Katayeb
Hezbollah militants.
Introduction
Katayeb
Hezbollah is a special terrorist group linked to the Quds Force. These
battalions began their activities under the name of ‘Abolfazl al-Abbas
Battalions’ and carried out their first attack against US forces on October 23rd,
2003 in the Baladiyat region. Their objective was to target one of their HUMVEE
vehicles stationed at the back of Hotel Qanat.
On
August 21st, 2007 the Quds Force merged the ranks and files of all
Abolfazl al-Abbas, Karbala, Zeid bin Ali, Ali Akbar and Sajjad battalions and
issued a statement announcing the formation of the Hezbollah battalions.
“Katayeb
Hezbollah” uses a symbol similar to the Lebanese Hezbollah. However, they have
placed a map of Iraq and not Israel in the center of their logo.
Training
Training
for the members of these battalions is provided by Lebanese Hezbollah
instructors dispatched to Iraq by the Quds Force. Ten instructors have
constantly been commuting to Iran. One of the main instructors is an individual
by the name of Ali Mousa Daghdug, a senior Lebanese Hezbollah commander who was
arrested by US forces back in July 2007. Another main Hezbollah instructor by
the name of Fars was also arrested by US forces in 2008. Hezbollah instructors
were providing training for Shiite militias from early April 2008 (prior to the
Basra encounter between the Sadrists and government forces). As the Basra
battles began they went to Iran and transferred all the training there. The
Quds Force prefers to use Lebanese Hezbollah instructors, and not Iranian
instructors, to train Iraqi Hezbollah because they speak Arabic and can easily
establish relations with them. Furthermore, this would downgrade the presence
of the Quds Force in Iraq.
Their
training includes explosives, ambushes and using missiles and mortar rounds in
former Revolutionary Guards (IRG) bases in Iran. Hezbollah battalion members
were receiving training on terrorist operations in Iraq against Coalition forces,
in four different cities of Qom, Tehran, Ahvaz and Mashhad. US forces issued a
statement in July 2008 saying Katayeb Hezbollah was receiving military training
by the IRGC, along with providing arms, money and military equipment.
Chronology
of Attacks
Following
2003 various groups were establishing independent relations with the Quds
Force, keeping everything in the dark and none being informed about the others’
status. Their operations, mainly focused against Coalition forces in Baghdad
and southern provinces, were carried out independently and all briefed and
instructed separately by the Quds Force.
Hezbollah
battalions advanced their military activities, with aid provided by the Quds
Force, after 2006. They were seen using Russian-made Katiusha rockets in
single, double and multiple attacks. Some attacks consisted of 30 such
missiles. They then began using sniper rifles and Sterla anti-helicopter
missiles, and Katayeb Hezbollah went on declared the production of Ashtar
missiles in 2008.
US
forces, backed by Iraqi forces, conducted expansive operations against armed
Shiite groups in the summer of 2008. These operations, dubbed “Sula al-Farsan”,
were carried out during former prime minister Nouri Maliki’s tenure. Hatayeb
Hezbollah units were targeted in these operations.
The
January 2007 attack on the Karbala governorate office, in which five US
soldiers were murder, was carried out by Katayeb Hezbollah under direct orders
of the Quds Force, intelligence shows. The abduction of five British citizens
from the Finance Ministry building in Baghdad in May 2007 was planned and
directly supervised by the Quds Force, and carried out on the scene by Katayeb
Hezbollah militants.
With the
signing of a security agreement nearing between the US and Iraq, Katayeb Hezbollah
issued a statement on November 24, 2008 expressing its clear and firm
opposition to the security agreement signing with the US. They called on their
members to raise arms against anyone agreeing with the deal.
The US
State Department on July 2, 2009 placed Katayeb Hezbollah and various other
Iraqi political figures close to this group on its terrorist list, and the US
Treasury Department began freezing their assets.
On
October 18, 2009 the BBC website published a news report from the US Defense
Department revealing that the Katayeb Hezbollah were able to use a software to
hack into the direct broadcast network specialized for US-made MQ-I Predator
and MQ-9 Raptors drones.
In 2010
Katayeb Hezbollah enhanced the Russian-made Katiusha missiles and began
manufacturing new missiles, known as Zolfaqar, Karrar and Heidar. These
missiles were used in attacks against US bases. On January 5, 2011 Katayeb
attacked various US bases, including Calso located north of Hilla and Saliz,
Victory and Liberty in Baghdad with a series of Ashtar and Karrar missiles.
Their
operations against coalition forces continued until the last day of the US
forces withdrawal from Iraq, and Katayeb Hezbollah issued a statement on
January 1, 2012 declaring their victory over US forces one day after the last
US soldier set foot out of Iraq.
Hierarchy
There is
no information about the hierarchy and ranks and files of this group on the
field, as it is considered one of the special groups of Iran’s Revolutionary
Guards and trained and used to carry out special operations. The names of this
group’s members were never revealed until US forces withdrew from Iraq.
Afterwards, the names of a limited number of their commanders were announced,
including:
Seyed
Jassem al-Jazaeri, Director of Public
Relations and member of Katayeb Hezbollah Political Bureau
Haj
Jassem al-Ka’bi: Official spokesman of
Katayeb Hezbollah and the first figure to appear as the spokesman of this group
during their celebrations on 4 February 2012 following the withdrawal
evacuation of US forces. This event was held in the Hay Baladiyat district of
eastern Baghdad.
Hossein
Munes Abu Messi: A Katayeb Hezbollah
field commander. He was arrested by US forces in late 2008 and released in
April 2012.
Khalid Ismaeel
Abu Mustafa: In charge of financial
and recruiting affairs in Katayeb Hezbollah. He is working under the cover of a
security company. Special ops arrested him in September 2009.
Abu
Zeinab: in charge of engineering for Katayeb Hezbollah
Institutions
linked to Katayeb
1. Imam
Hossein Scout Institute
Established
in 2011 this entity is missioned to prepare and train children and youths to
enter the group.
Sheikh
Abu Taleb al-Seyedi is a senior official in
Katayeb Hezbollah.
2.
Academic Experts Institute
This
entity is specifically formed for youths and college students, and intends to
input Islam into universities.
3.
Women’s Cultural Institute
This
entity is specifically designed for women.
4.
Mesbah Cultural Institute
Connection
with Maliki
Following
the withdrawal of US forces from Iraq, the Quds Force ordered Katayeb Hezbollah
to support Maliki in the political process in Iraq. From then on this group
acted as one of Maliki’s special groups, carrying out abductions and murdering
those opposing Maliki across Iraq. This group used government clothing to carry
out their terrorists operations, such as clothing and vehicles allocated for
security forces.
One of
the most important operations carried out by this group was an attack on Camp
Ashraf of the Iranian opposition People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran in
2013 that led to the massacre of 52 of these Iranian dissidents. This operation
was planned by the Quds Force and carried out by one of the elite units of
Katayeb Hezbollah. Maliki had paved their path into the camp to carry out this
attack.
Following
the fall of Mosul this group received orders from the Quds Force to begin
fighting ISIS. They joined the security forces coinciding with the formation of
the Popular Mobilization Forces under orders issued by Grand Ayatollah Ali
al-Sistani. PMF members were actually placed into the ranks and files of
Katayeb Hezbollah units and they established numerous bases in Baghdad.
With
Iraqi Prime Minister Dr. Haider al-Abadi coming to power, this group continues
its activities as a militia unit in the fight against ISIS, and also carrying
out abductions in Baghdad and other cities. This group, moving around with SWAT
uniforms and double-axes security vehicles with tinted windows only used by
Iraqi security forces, has no restrictions in their commuting in Baghdad and
other areas. No unit has the right to block their movements.
In May
2015 two Katayeb Hezbollah members were arrested and held by police in Taji,
north of Baghdad, on charges of abduction. The group attacked the police
station, severely injured the police officers and freed their member. Iraqi
security forces showed no reaction to this attack.
Arms:
- AK-47
rifles, pistols, M16 rifles and PKC medium machine gun
-
RPG-7s, B-29 and HS-50 snipers rifles
- 60mm
to 180mm mortars, Katiusha rockets, Sterla anti-air defense, single barrel,
double barrel and four-barrel anti-aircraft artillery
-
Mini-Katiusha launchers, ground-installed and installed on vehicles
-
Katayeb Hezbollah has experience in using various IEDs in numerous attacks
against US forces.
Ashtar
missiles
These
are large packages shaped like missiles and dubbed IRAM by US forces. This
package contains hundreds of kilograms of explosives and Katayeb Hezbollah used
it against a number of US bases in Iraq.
 |
| Basir 1 missile |
Propaganda
- Satellite
TV stations include Atteja. This is the main voice of Katayeb Hezbollah,
but is considered an unofficial media outlet. These programs are aired on Nile
Sat, frequency 10930, horizontal; and on Hotbird, frequency 12380, vertical.
- There
are no land TV channels.
- Radio stations include Radio Atteja, 106.3 FM, and Radio
Kowthar, 104.9 FM. The latter is similar to Atteja radio station.
- Press: The Iraqi ‘Moraqib’ daily
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