Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba

Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba
Arabic: حركة حزب الله النجباء‎‎
Participant in Iraq War
Syrian Civil War

Flag of the movement
Active 2013 – present
Ideology Shia Islamism (Vilayat-e Faqih)[1]
Leaders Sheikh Akram al-Kaabi[2]
Area of operations Iraq
Syrian Civil War
Aleppo
East Ghouta, Damascus[3]
Latakia[4]
Al-Ghab Plain, Hama[5]
Part of Popular Mobilization Forces[1][6]
Allies
Iraq Iraq
 Syria
 Iran
Kata'ib Hezbollah
Liwa Abu al-Fadhal al-Abbas
Hezbollah
Opponents Iraq War:
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
Multi-National Force – Iraq
Syrian Civil War:
Free Syrian Army
Islamic Front
al-Nusrah Front
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
Battles and wars

Iraqi insurgency (2003–11) (as Asaib Ahl al-Haq)
Iraqi Civil War (2014-present)

Syrian Civil War

Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba (HHN; Arabic: حركة حزب الله النجباء‎‎ Ḥaraka Ḥizballāh an-Nujabā’, "Movement of the Party of God's Nobles") is an Iraqi Shi'ite paramilitary group.

History

HHN emerged from the Iraqi paramilitary Asaib Ahl al-Haq (AAH) in 2013 and is led by AAH co-founder Sheikh Akram al-Kaabi. al-Kaabi claims that, after a period of militant inactivity, the Syrian civil war motivated him to form the militia. He denies it emerged from a "split" with AAH, but that he chose not to unify with them due to disagreements.[1] The two groups still share close affinity, often simultaneously commemorating martyrs.[8] The group openly receives training, arms, and military advice from Iran.[2] They have released a nasheed praising Iranian Quds Force commander Qasem Suleimani.[2] They follow the Iranian government's ideology of Vilayat-e Faqih, and al-Kaabi has stated that he would overthrow the Iraqi government or fight alongside the Yemeni Houthis if ordered by Grand Ayatollah Khamenei.[6]

The group was one of the first Iraqi paramilitaries to send fighters to Syria, doing so since their formation in 2013. They have had an increasing role in the country after a significant boost to recruitment efforts took place in 2015.[8] They were a major participant in the 2015 South Aleppo offensive[9] and the breaking of the siege of the Shia towns Nubl and Zahraa.[10]

In December 2014, ABNA.ir published photos of Iranian-built Yasir UAV (an unlicensed copy of the American ScanEagle) claimed in use with Harakat Hizballah al-Nujaba.[11]

In April 2015, al-Kaabi claimed the group had suffered 126 casualties, including 38 in Syria.[2]

Divisions

The group is divided into three brigades:[12][13]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Iraq's Shiite forces claim victory over IS". 16 March 2015. Retrieved 8 June 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Al-Tamimi, Aymenn Jawad. "Interview with the leader of Harakat al-Nujaba: Translation and Analysis". Retrieved 8 June 2016.
  3. ↑ قناة النجباء الفضائية (10 October 2015). "عمليات حركة النجباء في سوريا - الغوطة الشرقية". Retrieved 8 June 2016 – via YouTube.
  4. ↑ Stahlgewitter Syrien 2 (11 November 2015). "Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba: Operation in Latakia (2015)". Retrieved 8 June 2016 – via YouTube.
  5. ↑ قناة النجباء الفضائية (1 September 2015). "المقاومة الاسلامية حركة النجباء معارك تحرير سهل الغاب / سوريا". Retrieved 8 June 2016 – via YouTube.
  6. 1 2 "Iraqi Shiite militia leader says he would overthrow government if ordered by Iran's supreme leader - The Long War Journal". Retrieved 8 June 2016.
  7. ↑ "US continues airstrikes in Tikrit despite involvement of Iranian-backed Shiite militias - The Long War Journal". Retrieved 8 June 2016.
  8. 1 2 "Iran-backed Iraqi militias are pouring into Syria". Business Insider. 2 October 2015.
  9. ↑ Leith Fadel (16 December 2015). "Syrian Army and Hezbollah launch massive assault in southern Aleppo". Al-Masdar News.
  10. ↑ Fadel, Leith (1 February 2016). "Syrian Army, Hezbollah launch preliminary offensive in northern Aleppo". Retrieved 8 June 2016.
  11. ↑ "Iran's ScanEagle Clone – New Photos". Drone-RSS.com.
  12. ↑ "Understanding the Organizations Deployed to Syria" (PDF). Archived from the original on March 25, 2016. Retrieved 8 June 2016.
  13. ↑ Refugees, United Nations High Commissioner for. "Refworld - A Short Profile of Iraq's Shi'a Militias". Retrieved 8 June 2016.
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