Militia

Will Iraq finally help protect Kurdistan's oil fields from drone attacks? - analysis

For Iraq, it doesn’t seem to matter if the Kurdistan Region is attacked, because then the region can’t sell oil or provide itself with gas for electricity.

Members of the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI) participate in a military drill in an outpost near Erbil, Kurdistan region of Iraq on January 15, 2026.
Iraqi Prime Minister-designate Ali al-Zaidi speaks during a parliamentary session to vote in a new government at the parliament headquarters in Baghdad, Iraq, May 14, 2026.

Iraq in transition: Baghdad pushes weapons monopoly amid reforms - analysis

Qais al-Khazali, head of the Iranian-backed Asaib Ahl al-Haq militia in Iraq, speaks during a rally last year in Baghdad to present the Sadiqoon Movement ahead of parliamentary elections.

The illusion of change in Iraq: Baghdad's militia shake-up masks a deeper Iranian strategy

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi delivers a televised address after assuming office, in Baghdad, Iraq May 16, 2026.

Iraq PM hosts Iranian-backed militias to push disarmament, consolidate state control


Iranian-backed militias claim 30 killed, wounded in US airstrikes on base

Up to 30 fighters from Iran-backed PMF were reportedly killed or wounded in US airstrikes on their base in Anbar province, Iraq, including operations commander Saad Dawai.

A funeral ceremony is held at Al-Hussein Al-Askari Hospital for members of Popular Mobilization Forces who were killed in an attack in Al Anbar Province near the Syria border in Baghdadi Iraq on March 16, 2026.

Iran-backed militias strike Kurdistan, killing Peshmerga in northern Iraq

Iran and its militias struck northern Iraq, killing six Peshmerga and wounding 19, as attacks on the Kurdistan Region escalate amid the wider Middle East conflict.

Kurdistan Regional Government Peshmerga at a mountain outpost. September 19, 2019.

Iranian-backed militia in Iraq sends mixed messages about new attacks - analysis

Kataib Hezbollah said it might pause attacks on US targets in Iraq, but its strict and unlikely conditions suggest strikes could resume soon.

Members of the Hashd al-Shaabi gather in Basra, southern Iraq, to hold a memorial ceremony for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, carrying Khamenei posters and Hashd al-Shaabi and Kataib Hezbollah flags while chanting slogans in support of Iran on March 08, 2026.

Senior Iran-backed Iraqi militia official killed, Kataib Hezbollah not confirming circumstances

Kataib Hezbollah confirms the death of Abu Ali al-Askari, a senior member and militia spokesperson, who frequently criticized the US and Israel, while not confirming the cause of his death.

A man lifts a placard depicting slain Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani (L) and Iraqi commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis during a Baghdad funeral march rally for Iran-backed Iraqi militias, led by Kataib Hezbollah, December 4, 2023; illustrative.

Rising militia strikes leave Washington with few good choices in Iraq - analysis

The US Embassy in Baghdad has been warning US citizens in Iraq about threats for two weeks, since the US and Israeli strikes on Iran began on February 28.

A member of the Iraqi security forces mans a turret while on guard during a funerary procession for a slain member of Iraq's Hashed al-Shaabi, who was killed in a US-Israeli air strike in Mosul the previous evening, in Baghdad on March 8, 2026.

Iran-backed militias escalate drone attacks on US, Kurdistan targets in Iraq

Iran is also targeting Kurdish opposition groups in the Kurdistan Region of northern Iraq.

Iraqi security forces stand guard during a funerary procession for a slain member of Iraq's Hashed al-Shaabi, or the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) in Baghdad on March 8, 2026.

Iran-backed militias in Iraq suffer increased losses as airstrikes hit multiple bases

The most recent attacks have targeted a camp of the PMF in Qaim in western Iraq on the border with Syria. Ten members of the group were killed.

Iraqi security forces stand guard during a funerary procession for a slain member of Iraq's Hashed al-Shaabi, or the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) in Baghdad on March 8, 2026.

Iraq under pressure to curb Iran-backed militias after Rubio call - analysis

Iraq is now at a crossroads. Iran is increasingly turning Iraq into a battlefield. Iraq appears unwilling to rein in the militias in Iraq. Iraqis know the situation is dire.

A protester holds an image of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite armed groups attempt to move toward the US embassy located in Baghdad's Green Zone, while riot police deploy to block their advance, in Baghdad, Iraq, March 1, 2026.

The Kurds' moment: Why Iran’s Kurdish opposition thinks history is turning in its favor

MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS: Kurdish groups in Iran and Iraq have faced incredible hardships. They have persevered. Now they sense that their moment has arrived.

KURDISH GEN. Hussein Yazdanpanah, whom the writer first met almost a decade ago, has been fighting for Kurdish sovereignty for years.

Iranian-backed militias in Iraq struck by missiles, possibly of Israeli origin - report

Iraqi Shiite militias linked with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, including Kataib Hezbollah and other Popular Mobilization Forces groups, were targeted in Israeli strikes, local media claims.

Iraqi Shi'ite Muslim men from the Iranian-backed group Kataib Hezbollah wave the party's flags as they walk along a street painted in the colours of the Israeli flag during a parade marking the annual Quds Day, or Jerusalem Day, on the last Friday of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, in Baghdad