Mushtaq Talib Al-Saeedi

Iraqi militant commander (1980–2024)

Mushtaq Talib Al-Saeedi
Nickname(s)	Abu Taqwa
Born	1980 (1980) Baghdad, Iraq
Died	4 January 2024 (aged 43) Baghdad, Iraq
Cause of death	Drone strike
Allegiance	Sadrist Movement (until 2011) Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba
Years of service	?–2024
Rank	Commander
Battles/wars	War in Iraq (2013–2017) Operation Inherent Resolve Attacks on U.S. bases in Iraq, Jordan, and Syria (2023–present)

Mushtaq Talib Al-Saeedi (Arabic: مشتاق طالب السعيدي; 1980 – 4 January 2024), also known as Abu Taqwa,^[1] was an Iraqi militant of Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba.^[2]^[3] He was also a senior commander of the 12th brigade of the Popular Mobilization Forces.^[4]

Biography

Born in Baghdad in 1980, Al-Saeedi grew up in the neighborhood of Al-Kamaliyah [ar] in a poor family from the Diyala Governorate.^[5] He was a member of the Sadrist Movement until his arrest by the Multi-National Force in 2011 and joined Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq and Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba upon his release. During the Second War in Iraq, he was a commander in Al Tarmia in the northern suburbs of Baghdad. He then reached an important apparatus with the Iran-backed Popular Mobilization Forces in the Baghdad Belts region.^[6]^[7] He was responsible for Hezbollah al-Nujaba’s attacks against American military bases in Iraq and Syria.^[8]

Mushtaq Talib Al-Saeedi was assassinated in a targeted U.S. drone strike in Baghdad on 4 January 2024, at the age of 43.^[9]^[8]

References

^ "Airstrike in Baghdad kills Iran-backed militia leader Abu Taqwa amid escalating regional tensions". CBS News. 4 January 2024. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
^ Cloris, Julie; Wernert, Marie-Laurence (5 January 2024). "Guerre Israël-Hamas : Tsahal poursuit ses opérations à Khan Younès". Le Parisien (in French). Retrieved 8 January 2024.
^ "Un chef et un membre d'une faction pro-iranienne tués à Bagdad par une frappe américaine". TV5Monde (in French). 4 January 2024. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
^ "أول صورة لقيادي النجباء القتيل في بغداد.. ولحظة استهدافه". Al Arabiya (in Arabic). 4 January 2024. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
^ al-Akhir, Jumala (4 January 2024). "مَن أبو تقوى الذي قُتل بضربة أميركية في بغداد؟". Asharq Al-Awsat (in Arabic). Retrieved 8 January 2024.
^ "سقوط نائب قائد عمليات الحشد الشعبي بقصف أميركي في بغداد". Asharq News (in Arabic). 4 January 2024. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
^ "Un chef et un membre d'une faction pro-iranienne tués à Bagdad par une frappe américaine". L'Express (in French). 4 January 2024. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
^ ^a ^b "Who was 'Abu Taqwa', the Iraqi militia head assassinated by the US?". The New Arab. 5 January 2024.
^ "البنتاغون يؤكد مقتل قيادي في "النجباء" بضربة أميركية في العراق". Alhurra (in Arabic). 4 January 2024. Retrieved 8 January 2024.

Israel–Hamas war

Engage-
ments

Hamas-led
attack on Israel

Attacks on civilians	Netiv HaAsara Alumim Be'eri Elchanan Team Holit Kfar Aza Kissufim Nir Oz Nir Yitzhak Nahal Oz Nirim Nova music festival Psyduck music festival
Battles	Re'im Sderot Sufa Zikim Israeli female tank crew fight
General topics	Allegations of genocide Allegations of involvement of UNRWA employees Denial Sexual and gender-based violence

Israeli invasion
of Gaza

Attacks on refugee camps	Jabalia 31 October Al-Shati Al-Maghazi
Attacks on schools	Al-Maghazi Al-Fakhoora Al-Falah Shadia Abu Ghazala School
Attacks on health facilities	Killing of health workers Gaza Strip mass graves Al-Ahli Arab Hospital explosion Al-Shifa Hospital siege alleged military use ambulance airstrike Kamal Adwan Hospital siege Nasser Hospital siege Nasser Hospital mass graves Gaza Strip mass graves
Other attacks	Airstrikes on municipal services in Gaza Church of Saint Porphyrius Engineer's Building strike and massacre Flour massacre Palestinians evacuating Gaza City Sabra mosque World Central Kitchen drone strikes
General topics	Gaza genocide allegations Bombing of the Gaza Strip Destruction of cultural heritage during the Israel–Hamas war Environmental damage in the Gaza Strip caused by the Israel–Hamas war Torture AI-assisted targeting

Other theaters

Israel–Lebanon border clashes
- Attacks on journalists
Israeli incursions in the West Bank
- Killing of Benjamin Achimeir
- April 2024 Israeli settler rampages
Givat Shaul shooting
Tower 22 drone attack

Iran–Israel conflict	Israeli bombing of the Iranian embassy in Damascus Iranian strikes in Israel Israeli strikes on Iran
Red Sea crisis	Operation Prosperity Guardian Attacks on the MV Maersk Hangzhou 2024 missile strikes in Yemen Marlin Luanda missile strike

Hostage
crisis

Hostages	Noa Argamani Bibas family Alex Dancyg Oded Lifshitz Hersh Goldberg-Polin Naama Levy
Rescued hostages	Operation Golden Hand Ori Megidish
Released hostages	Rachel Edry Yarden Roman-Gat Mia Schem
Deceased hostages	Alon Shamriz, Yotam Haim, and Samer Talalka

General
topics

Historical context	Arab–Israeli conflict Blockade of the Gaza Strip Palestinian freedom of movement Israel and apartheid Children Gaza–Israel conflict Casualties of Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip Human shields Israeli settlement Israeli outpost Israeli settler violence Israeli disengagement from Gaza Palestinian rocket attacks Palestinian tunnel warfare anti-tunnel barrier Women

Effects

Reactions

Discrimination	Antisemitism Riots in the North Caucasus Anti-Palestinianism Islamophobia Violent incidents Killing of Wadea al-Fayoume Death of Paul Kessler Vermont student shooting Zürich stabbing attack
Protests	France March for the Republic and Against Antisemitism Pro-Palestinian protests at Sciences Po Indonesia 2023 Bitung clashes Israel United Kingdom United States National March on Washington: Free Palestine March for Israel DNC protests March on Washington for Gaza Self-immolation of Aaron Bushnell Israel–Hamas war protest vote movements Artists4Ceasefire Columbia University protests
UN resolutions	A/RES/ES-10/21 S/RES/2712 A/RES/ES-10/22 S/RES/2720 S/RES/2728
UN inquiry	Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory
World Court	South Africa v. Israel (Genocide Convention) Legal Consequences of Israeli Policies and Practices
Courts	Defense for Children International-Palestine v. Biden

Casualties

Israel

Security forces	Alim Abdallah Yitzhak Ben-Bashat Jayar Davidov Eli Ginsberg Salman Habaka Asaf Hamami Yitzhar Hofman Roi Levy Izhar Peled Yonatan Steinberg
Civilians	Lior Asulin Yuval Castleman Hayim Katsman Ofir Libstein Shani Louk Aner Shapira Vivian Silver Yahav Winner

Palestine

Hamas	Saleh al-Arouri Abdul Fatah Dukhan Mohammed Dababish Wissam Farhat Ahmed Ghandour Marwan Issa Fursan Khalifa Osama Mazini Ayman Nofal Jamila al-Shanti Ali Al Qadi
Other militants	Fouad Abu Butihan Jihad Shehadeh
Civilians	Tawfic Abdel Jabbar Refaat Alareer Hammam Alloh Naheda and Samr Anton Yazan al-Kafarneh Ibrahim al-Astal Ahmad Bahar Mohammed Barakat Rashid Dabour [ar] Mohamed al-Dalou Awni El-Dous Omar Ferwana Hiba Abu Nada Ibrahim Qusaya Hind Rajab Mohammed Shabir Omar Abu Shawish Sufian Tayeh Wael Al Zard

Spillover

Journalists

General topics

Friendly fire

Related
people

Israelis	Nimrod Aloni Rachel Goldberg-Pollin Eitan Okun [he] Yagel Oshri Inbal Rabin-Lieberman Amir Tibon
Palestinians	Wael Al-Dahdouh Plestia Alaqad Motaz Azaiza Bisan Owda Mustafa Moien Ayyash