THE SHIITE JIHAD IN SYRIA AND ITS REGIONAL EFFECTS

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34 n THE SHIITE JIHAD IN SYRIA Iraq and [there is a] need to defend sanctities there.” 183 This claim was made a full month before ISIS initiated its main offensive that took Mosul. This shift was also evident in Internet-based recruitment and the redeployment back to Iraq of many Iraqi Shiite fighters who had gained prominence in Syria. Iraqi SWAT Teams in Damascus? Suspicions held, since the first images emerged of Iraqi Shiite fighters in Syria, that some might belong to the Iraqi Special Operations Forces (ISOF), SWAT teams, and other units. On this count, attention focused especially on AAH, the Badr Organization, Kataib Hezbollah, LAFA, LIH, and the RRF, which were seen as having close ties to Iraqi internal security and military forces. Whether these hints of affiliation reflected deliberate propaganda, perhaps to misdirect the groups’ monitors away from deeper infiltrations, is unknown. Regardless, they were present in imagery and music released by Shiite militia groups populated by Iraqi personnel. 184 In particular, signifiers such as the distinctive face masks worn by many ISOF and SWAT team members appeared on Iraqi Shiite militiamen outside the Sayyeda Zainab shrine. 185 Velcro patches reading “SWAT” or “ISOF” were commonly affixed to Shiite militiamen and their camouflage uniforms. 186 Customized camouflage-painted rifles, weapons often associated with ISOF units, also appeared. 187 (More generally, see appendix 6 for a discussion of weapons tied to Shiite militias.) On AAH social media pages, it was claimed that one of the group’s fighters, Karrar Abed al-Amir Fatlawi Abu Assad (a.k.a. Karrar), who was reportedly killed in Syria in spring 2013, belonged to the Iraqi army’s Muthanna Brigade, 188 a claim bolstered by photos of Karrar operating as part of or alongside the brigade and other Iraqi troops. 189 Reports indicate that the predominantly Shiite Muthanna Brigade has been heavily involved in sectarian attacks and, during the U.S. occupation of Iraq, almost came to blows with U.S. forces. In 2007, citing a Sunni leader affiliated with the sahwa movement, the New York Times claimed that the Muthanna Brigade was “infiltrated by Iranian-sympathizing militiamen who abuse Sunnis.” 190 Since Karrar was one of the first AAH members declared killed in Syria, he may have been part of a core group of well-trained, experienced fighters initially deployed to establish themselves in the country. These fighters were presumably picked from official military units whose extensive training had included that from U.S. advisors during the Iraq war.
BUILDING AN ARMY FOR ZAINAB n 35 The extensive linkages between Maliki’s State of Law Alliance and numerous Iraqi Shiite proxies of Iran that sent forces to Syria further suggest that these proxies may have fielded recruits from official Iraqi units. Maliki’s increasing politicization and sectarianization of the Iraqi military and internal security branches provided further openings for Iran-backed groups that filtered into the Iraqi defense establishment. 191 Alongside AAH, the Badr Organization is another group well represented within the Iraqi security forces, with significant numbers positioned in key units within ISF and Iraqi military units. According to the Guardian, “After the Pentagon lifted a ban on Shia militias joining the security forces, the special police commando (SPC) membership was increasingly drawn from violent Shia groups such as the Badr brigades.” 192 Even during the U.S. occupation of Iraq, the Badr Organization had thoroughly infiltrated other specialized commando units, particularly those affiliated with the Ministry of Interior. 193 The RRF in Syria also has links to the Iraqi security establishment, with its name and raison d’etre essentially echoing the Iraqi military’s and ISF’s own “emergency response units” (ERUs), which are manned by Muqtada al-Sadr supporters and particularly fighters loyal to the Badr Organization. 194 Reinforcing this development, martyrdom posters for the Badr Organization’s Qassem Jamil al-Salami and Hassan Hadi al-Maryani, both killed in Iraq, show the former in an ERU uniform and the latter in SWAT/ISOF fatigues. 195 Elsewhere in Syria, individuals involved in LAFA-related groups have regularly paraded symbols linked to the Iraqi military. Abu Ajeeb, the group’s commander, was pictured wearing ISOF patches. 196 Indeed, a connection between Abu Ajeeb and Iraq’s special forces would, if nothing else, dispel rebel narratives claiming he was a “vegetable seller from the northwestern governorate of Idlib.” 197 Abu Ali al-Darraji, another LAFA-affiliated commander, also sported special forces patches. Nevertheless, as noted in an earlier section, he was reportedly an Iraqi refugee applying for asylum while exiled in Syria, making his special forces membership unlikely. Others in the LAFA network to feature Iraqi military gear—in this case, from the army— included Abu Dhima al-Amr, an LIH commander. 198 Abu Fatima al-Musawi, a LAFA cofounder and now leader of the AAH-inspired LAAG, was pictured with ISOF epaulettes. 199 Beyond the possibilities already implied, a number of potential explanations may be offered for these groups’ promotion of ties and overlap with official Iraqi government armed units:
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Page 3 and 4: POLICY FOCUS 138 THE SHIITE JIHAD I
Page 5 and 6: C ONTENTS Acronyms | iv 1 Introduct
Page 7 and 8: 1 Introduction THE SYRIAN CIVIL WAR
Page 9 and 10: 2 The Narrative of Jihad SINCE THE
Page 11 and 12: THE NARRATIVE OF JIHAD n 5 a useful
Page 13 and 14: THE NARRATIVE OF JIHAD n 7 An Open
Page 15 and 16: THE NARRATIVE OF JIHAD n 9 al-Amin,
Page 17 and 18: THE NARRATIVE OF JIHAD n 11 In a Fe
Page 19 and 20: 3 Call to Jihad: Clerical Views of
Page 21 and 22: CALL TO JIHAD n 15 During his publi
Page 23 and 24: CALL TO JIHAD n 17 direct Iranian m
Page 25 and 26: CALL TO JIHAD n 19 al-Sadr contradi
Page 27 and 28: 4 Building an Army for Zainab REPRE
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Page 57 and 58: JOINING OF FRONTS n 51 members. 262
Page 59 and 60: JOINING OF FRONTS n 53 Darraji’s
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Page 63 and 64: POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS n 57 such na
Page 65 and 66: NOTES AND SOURCES n 59 Revolutionar
Page 67 and 68: NOTES AND SOURCES n 61 33. Hassan H
Page 69 and 70: NOTES AND SOURCES n 63 June 15, 200
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Page 79 and 80: NOTES AND SOURCES n 73 205. Michael
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Page 87 and 88: BOARD OF DIRECTORS President Richar

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