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The US has offered a $10 million reward for information on the leader of Iran-aligned Kataib Sayyid Al Shuhada in Iraq, weeks after a similar announcement relating to the chief of another militia group.
Hashim Finyan Rahim Al Saraji, known as Abu Ala Al Walai, is the leader and secretary general of Kataib Sayyid Al Shuhada, which is designated as a terrorist group by the US.
In a statement, the Rewards for Justice programme accused the group of having "killed Iraqi civilians and attacked US diplomatic facilities in Iraq, as well as attacking US military bases and personnel in Iraq and Syria". The group has claimed responsibility for attacks on American targets in Iraq since the start of the Iran war on February 28.
This month, a $10 million reward was offered for Kataib Hezbollah chief Ahmad Al Hamidawi.
The militias have also launched attacks on US troops in countries including Jordan and Kuwait. The UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and Jordan condemned those attacks and urged Iraq to “take the necessary measures” to halt them.
Saudi officials told The Wall Street Journal this week that more than half of the 1,000 drone attacks on the kingdom were launched from Iraqi soil.
Many Iran-aligned militias have a presence in the Popular Mobilisation Forces, a state-sponsored umbrella organisation of mostly Shiite paramilitary groups. The PMF is formally under Iraqi control, but many factions maintain parallel chains of command and are widely believed to answer to Tehran.
The groups are part of Iran's so-called Axis of Resistance across the Middle East. Their tactics rely heavily on cheap, locally made explosive drones, as well as short-range rockets, used mainly for attacking targets inside Iraq. They also use missiles for longer-range targets.
Much of the power lies with a few core militias that fought against US troops in Iraq after the 2003 invasion, then in Syria's civil alongside former president Bashar Al Assad’s forces. Those groups are Kataib Hezbollah, Al Nujaba Movement, Kataib Sayied Al Shuhda and Asaib Ahl Al Haq. Attacks have also been claimed by smaller, shadowy groups.
The US has increased pressure on the Iraqi government to step up efforts to rein in the militia groups. Iraqi officials told The National this week that Washington halted security co-operation and US dollar shipments from Iraqi oil revenue.
Iraq is also looking to form a government after holding elections in November last year, with political factions to decide on a new prime minister on Friday. The US has repeatedly warned Iraq against choosing a pro-Iranian political figure for the role.
