Abbas Shield Martyrdom Forces (Arabic: قوات درع عباس الاستشهادية, romanized: Quwat Dera’a Al-Abbas Al-Ishtishadiyah, lit. 'Abbas Shield Martyrdom Forces')[A] is an Iraqi Shia Militant group.[2]
History
The group was formed on 15 March 2025, calling on Iraqis and Iranian-backed Popular Mobilization Forces members to join the "jihadist Project".[1][3] It claimed on 17 March that 40,000 people have submitted membership applications. Iraqi media reported that the group's leader,
Karar Fatah al Subihawi, has previously attended Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) events and was connected to Wathiq al-Battat, the former leader of Iranian-backed Iraqi militia Mukhtar Army. Battat was a senior official in Iranian-backed Iraqi militia Kata'ib Hezbollah before he formed the Mukhtar Army in 2013. Subihawi reportedly remained in Damascus, Syria, after the collapse of the Assad regime to “liberate” the Sayyida Zaynab Shrine from the Syrian Interim Government.
In a video clip featuring the image of the former leader of the Lebanese Hezbollah group Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah,[5] Abbas Martyrdom Shield Forces, Ya Ali Popular Formations and the Kataib Sarkhat al-Quds have threatened to take action in Syria and against the United States. The Abbas Martyrdom Forces stated it would launch "martyrdom operations" to "free Syria" and attack American interests for recent strikes upon Yemen’s Houthis. The group is assumed to have connections to the Islamic Resistance in Iraq (IRI), a collection of pro-Iran PMF factions, such as Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq, Kataib Hezbollah, Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba, and others. The IRI is accused of using front organizations to avoid accountability and Western retribution.[4]
See Also
- Kataib Sarkhat al-Quds Another Iraqi faction that declared against the US attacks in Yemen and the First Syrian transitional government.
Notes
- ^ Also called Abbas Shield Martyrdom Forces Brigades and Shield Abbas Martyrdom Brigades Forces.
References
- ^ a b c "New Iraqi Armed Factions Vow to Target US Over Yemen Strikes". www.basnews.com. Retrieved 20 March 2025.
- ^ a b "Iran Update March 17, 2025". Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved 23 March 2025.
- ^ a b "New Iraqi armed factions vow "jihad" against US". Shafaq News. Retrieved 21 March 2025.
- ^ a b c "New Iraqi Armed Factions Threaten Attacks Upon US And Syria". Musings on Iraq. 19 March 2025. Retrieved 22 March 2025.
- ^ a b "Iraq's Iran-backed militias on edge as US hits Houthis in Yemen". The Arab Weekly. Retrieved 20 March 2025.
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