Kata'ib Sayyid al-Shuhada

Iraqi Shia militia
Kata'ib Sayyid al-Shuhada
كتائب سيد الشهداء
Kata'ib Sayyid al-Shuhada flag and logo
LeadersAbu Ala al-Walai[1]
Abu Mustafa al-Sheibani[2]
Dates of operation2013–present[3]
Allegiance Iraq
Group(s)
  • Liwa al-Sayyida Ruqayya (The Ja'afari Force)[4]
Active regionsSaladin Governorate[5]
Damascus Governorate[3]
Daraa Governorate[3]
IdeologyShia Islamism
Wilayat al Faqih[6]
Khomeinism
Anti-Zionism
Size10,000 (December 2020)[2]
Part of Popular Mobilization Forces
Islamic Resistance in Iraq
AlliesState allies
  •  Iran[7]
  •  Syria
    • National Defense Force
  •  Russia
  •  North Korea

Non-state allies

Opponents
Battles and warsSyrian Civil War

War in Iraq (2014–2017)

WebsiteOfficial website
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Syrian civil war
Timeline
    • January–April 2011
    • May–August 2011
    • September–December 2011
    • January–April 2012
    • May–August 2012
    • September–December 2012
    • January–April 2013
    • May–December 2013
    • January–July 2014
    • August–December 2014
    • January–July 2015
    • August–December 2015
    • January–April 2016
    • May–August 2016
    • September–December 2016
    • January–April 2017
    • May–August 2017
    • September–December 2017
    • January–April 2018
    • May–August 2018
    • September–December 2018
    • January–April 2019
    • May–August 2019
    • September–December 2019
    • 2020
    • 2021
    • 2022
    • 2023
    • 2024

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Civil uprising in Syria (March–August 2011)
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Start of insurgency (Sept. 2011 – April 2012)
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UN ceasefire; Rebel advances (May 2012 – Dec. 2013)
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Rise of the Islamic State (Jan. – Sept. 2014)
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U.S.-led intervention, Rebel & ISIL advances (Sept. 2014 – Sept. 2015)
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Russian intervention (Sept. 2015 – March 2016)
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Aleppo escalation and Euphrates Shield (March 2016 – February 2017)
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Collapse of the Islamic State in Syria (Feb. – Nov. 2017)
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Rebels in retreat and Operation Olive Branch
(Nov. 2017 – Sep. 2018)
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Idlib demilitarization
(Sep. 2018 – April 2019)
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First Idlib offensive, Operation Peace Spring, & Second Idlib offensive (April 2019 – March 2020)
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Idlib ceasefire (March 2020 – present)
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Syrian War spillover and international incidents
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Foreign involvement in the Syrian civil war
Foreign intervention on behalf of Syrian Arab Republic

Foreign intervention in behalf of Syrian rebels

U.S.-led intervention against ISIL

The Master of Martyrs Battalions, or Kata'ib Sayyid al-Shuhada' (KSS; Arabic: كتائب سيد الشهداء, The Battalions of the Master of Martyrs), officially the 14th Brigade, is a radical Iraqi Shia militia formed in 2013. Its stated mission is to protect "(Shia) shrines across the globe", preserve "Iraqi unity" and to "put an end to the sectarian conflict". KSS is funded, trained and equipped by IRGC's Quds Force and Hezbollah.

The group has been described as an Iranian proxy, and is one of the original militias that formed the Popular Mobilization Forces in 2014. The group has close ties to Badr Organization and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.[14]

KSS is also active in Syria, where its main focus is the protection of the Sayyidah Zaynab Mosque in the southern suburbs of Damascus. It militarily supports the al-Assad Government in the Syria Civil War,[3] and engaged in the Battle of Al-Shaykh Maskin in December 2014 in Syria in support of the Syrian army.[10]

On November 17, 2023, KSS and its leader Hashim Finyan Rahim al-Saraji (also known as Abu Ala al-Walai) were designated as Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGT) under the counterterrorism authority Executive Order 13224 by the United States.[15][16][17][18] Additionally, al-Saraji was placed on Office of Foreign Assets Control's Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) List.[19]

See also

  • iconShia Islam portal
  • flagIraq portal
  • iconAsia portal

References

  1. ^ "US mulls how best to Control pro-Iran Factions | Iraq Business News - Part 2". 30 May 2017.
  2. ^ a b Michael Knights (23 June 2017). "Iran's Foreign Legion: The Role of Iraqi Shiite Militias in Syria". Washington Institute for Near East Policy. Retrieved 4 December 2014.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Kata'ib Sayyid al-Shuhada". Tracking Terrorism. Retrieved 4 December 2014.
  4. ^ "Liwa al-Sayyida Ruqayya: Recruiting the Shi'a of Damascus".
  5. ^ a b c d e f g "MMP: Kata'ib Sayyid al-Shuhada".
  6. ^ "قيادي في «الحشد الشعبي»: نتبع ولاية الفقيه لا ساسة العراق". 3 August 2016.
  7. ^ Fahim, Kareem; Barnard, Anne (21 October 2015). "Russia Makes an Impact in Syrian Battle for Control of Aleppo". The New York Times.
  8. ^ "Hizb Allah's Gambit in Syria". 27 August 2013. Archived from the original on 20 August 2021. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
  9. ^ "الحشد يعلق على القصف الأمريكي ضد كتائب سيد الشهداء غرب الأنبار .. ويتوعد بالرد".
  10. ^ a b "Syria Update: November 25 – December 02, 2014". Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved 3 December 2014.
  11. ^ "Iranian-backed militia seen with US tank in Iraq | FDD's Long War Journal".
  12. ^ "Shiite militias, Iraqi forces surround Tikrit". 10 March 2015. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
  13. ^ "The Shiite Jihad in Syria and Its Regional Effects APPENDIX 2 Understanding the Organizations Deployed to Syria" (PDF). Washington Institute for Near East Policy. February 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 25, 2016. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
  14. ^ "Hizballah Cavalcade: Kata'ib Sayyid al-Shuhada Emerges: Updates on the New Iraqi Shia Militia Supplying Fighters to Syria". Retrieved 10 March 2015.
  15. ^ Knights, Michael. "Profile: Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada". The Washington Institute.
  16. ^ "Counter Terrorism Designations". Office of Foreign Assets Control. November 17, 2023.
  17. ^ "Terrorist Designations of Iran-aligned Militia Groups". state.gov. November 17, 2023.
  18. ^ "U.S. Treasury Sanctions Iran-Aligned Militias in Iraq". U.S. Department of the Treasury. November 17, 2023.
  19. ^ "Hashim Finyan Rahim al-Saraji - Sanctions List Search (OFAC)". sanctionssearch.ofac.treas.gov.

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