Abbas Shield Martyrdom Forces () is an Iraqi

Shia Shia Islam is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political successor (caliph) and as the spiritual leader of the Muslim community (imam). However, his right is understood ...

Militant The English word ''militant'' is both an adjective and a noun, and it is generally used to mean vigorously active, combative and/or aggressive, especially in support of a cause, as in "militant reformers". It comes from the 15th century Lat ...

group.

History

The group was formed on 15 March 2025, calling on

Iraqis Iraqis ( ; ) are the citizens and nationals of the Republic of Iraq. The majority of Iraqis are Arabs, with Kurds accounting for the largest ethnic minority, followed by Turkmen. Other ethnic groups from the country include Yazidis, As ...

and Iranian-backed

Popular Mobilization Forces The Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF; ), also known as the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), is an Iranian-backed paramilitary umbrella group that operates within Iraq. Although formally and legally part of the Iraqi Armed Forces and reportin ...

members to join the "jihadist Project". 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 The Mukhtar Army is a Shi'a Iraqi militia group formed in February 2013 by Wathiq al-Battat, a former senior official in the Hezbollah Brigades. Al-Battat pledged his loyalty to the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Al-Battat was arr ...

. Battat was a senior official in Iranian-backed Iraqi militia

Kata'ib Hezbollah Kata'ib Hezbollah (), also known as the Hezbollah Brigades, is an Iraqi Shia paramilitary group which is a part of the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), staffing the 45th, 46th, and 47th Brigades. During the Iraq War (2003–11), the g ...

before he formed the Mukhtar Army in 2013. Subihawi reportedly remained in

Damascus Damascus ( , ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in the Levant region by population, largest city of Syria. It is the oldest capital in the world and, according to some, the fourth Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. Kno ...

, Syria, after the

collapse of the Assad regime On 8 December 2024, the Assad regime collapsed during a major offensive by opposition forces. The offensive was spearheaded by Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and supported mainly by the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army as part of the ongoi ...

to "liberate" the Sayyida Zaynab Shrine from the

Syrian Interim Government The Syrian Interim Government (Arabic: الحكومة السورية المؤقتة; ''Ḥukūmat as-Sūriyya al-Muwaqqata'') was a government-in-exile and later a quasi-state in Syria formed on 18 March 2013 by the National Coalition of Syria ...

. In a video clip featuring the image of the former leader of the Lebanese Hezbollah group Sayyed

Hassan Nasrallah Hassan Nasrallah (, ; 31 August 196027 September 2024) was a Lebanese cleric and politician who served as the third secretary-general of Hezbollah, a Shia Islamist political party and militia, from 1992 until his assassination in 2024. Bor ...

, Abbas Martyrdom Shield Forces,

Ya Ali Popular Formations Ya Ali Popular Formations () is a Shia Islam, Shia militia group in Iraq. The group has been reported to engage in attacks against Syrians, Syrians residing in Iraq, particularly those suspected of supporting Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, Hay'at Tahrir ...

and the

Kataib Sarkhat al-Quds Kataib Sarkhat al-Quds () is the successor organization to Ashab al-Kahf, a Iraqi Shia paramilitary group part of the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) and the Islamic Resistance in Iraq (IRI). History On 19 August 2024, Ashab al-Kahf ...

have threatened to take action in Syria and against the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. The Abbas Martyrdom Forces stated it would launch 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 Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq (AAH; Aṣaʾib ʾAhl al-Haqq, "League of the Righteous"), also known as the Khazali Network (), is an Iraqi Shia Islamist political party and paramilitary organization previously active in the Iraqi insurgency and Syrian ...

Kataib Hezbollah Kata'ib Hezbollah (), also known as the Hezbollah Brigades, is an Iraqi Shia paramilitary group which is a part of the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), staffing the 45th, 46th, and 47th Brigades. During the Iraq War (2003–11), the gr ...

Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba (The Nujaba Movement or HHN; ), officially the 12th Brigade, is a radical Iraqi Shi'ite paramilitary group that is especially active in Iraq and formerly in Ba'athist Syria. It was established in 2013 by Akram al-Kaa ...

, and

others Others or The Others may refer to: Fictional characters * Others (''A Song of Ice and Fire''), supernatural creatures in the fictional world of George R. R. Martin's fantasy series ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' * Others (''Lost''), mysterious inh ...

. The IRI is accused of using

front organization A front organization is any entity set up by and controlled by another organization, such as intelligence agencies, organized crime groups, terrorist organizations, secret societies, banned organizations, religious or political groups, advocacy ...

s to avoid accountability and Western retribution.

Notes

References

{{Reflist 2025 establishments in Iraq Aftermath of the fall of the Assad regime Paramilitary organizations based in Iraq Jihadist groups in Iraq Shia Islamist groups Arab militant groups Axis of Resistance Pro-Assad factions of the Syrian civil war

History

See also

Notes

References