LAZARSKI UNIVERSITY OF WARSAW

TERRORISM AND ANTI-TERRORISM COURSE

CASE STUDY
- Kataib Hezbollah

Student: Bogdan Costel Ursu

ID no: 348 E

Table of Contents

I.

General Overview

II.

History and Context

III.

Objectives, Ideology and Political Support

IV.

Organizational Structure, Tactics and Strategies

V.

Attacks and Counter-terrorism Measures

VI.

Is the Enemy of my Enemy still my Enemy?

VII. Conclusion

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I. General Overview

Throughout the last decades there has appeared a new category of actors/entities/players
in the International community: the non-state, paramilitary, armed groups often being referred
to as militias, terrorist groups or extremists. Some of them started to become more and
more powerful, turning into real para-states that sometimes tend to challenge the actual states
stability and monopoly to use violence, as the concept of state was described by Max Weber:
human community that successfully claims the monopoly of the legitimate use of physical force
within a given territory1.
When this monopoly is threatened and no longer entirely in the hands of the state and its
institutions, destabilization appears and the very existence of state becomes questionable. The
challengers seem to have appeared in different forms and in different parts of the globe (ethnic
groups, terrorist groups, militias, criminal organizations, insurgents etc.). In some cases, the
states can be the enemies or they can be the allies of such groups. Also, states can use the above
described entities as proxies in other states in order to exercise their influence or to influence the
political situation in another country.
Terrorist organizations are often described as the most dangerous enemies of states, and
the main factors that may threaten their national security. Although a clear definition is not yet
to be found for the concept of terrorist group or act, some chracteristics have been pointed out,
characteristics that should differentiate a terrorist group from other organized entities: it has
mainly political goals, they make use of violence, they try to elicite a psychological response to
those not immediately targeted and are organized entities and sub-state actors.
In the following lines, the aim of this paper is to analyse whether Kataib Hezbollah is a
terrorist group or not, the context in which it had appeared, political goals, organization, tactics
and strategies used and its implication in the fight against the Islamic State.

Max Weber Politics as a Vocation http://anthropos-lab.net/wp/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Weber-Politics-asa-Vocation.pdf, p. 1

1

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II. History and Context

For several decades, tensions in the Middle East and threats that appeared from this
region have come to the attention of the International community. Wars and conflicts have had
their roots mostly in the tensions that existed for a very long period of time between Shia
Muslims and Sunni Muslims, the two major denominations of Islam. Most of the Shia Muslims
are to be found in Iran, Iraq and Azerbaijan, the other Muslim countries being majoritary Sunni.
One of the most stable states in the Middle East that was and still remains is Iran, in contrast to
its politically unstable neighbours: Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan. And there is no secret that Iran
tried and is still struggling to impose its influence in these states through a network and web of
different para-military organizations and Shia-militias, that not on few occasions have engaged
in terrorist activities.
During the recent war in Iraq and after, United States military presence in that region
stimulated a upheavel of resistence and violent extremism. There have appeared several terrorist
and extremist groups (or militias) whose main goals were to attack the U.S. troops, disrupt the
security operations and destabilize the political reconstruction of Iraq. The most dangerous to be
considered groups were: the Promised Day Brigade, Asaib al-Haq, Kataib Hezbollah and alQaeda in Iraq2. Most of them were suspected to be supported and financed by the Iranian
Government through its Quds Force (a special forces unit ot Irans Revolutionary Guards,
responsible mainly for extraterritorial operations and tactics).
It is believed3 that Kataib Hezbollah has been organized by the Quds Force in early 2007
in order to gather the most experienced and trusty Iraqi supporters and make a strong and
efficient para-military group out of them, providing them also with important equipment and
weapons. They have started to make their mark by attacking the American and Coalition forces
in Iraq using improvised explosive devices, mortars, rockets, snipers etc. in the Green Zone or in
other areas. They also had some other targets, such as United Nations workers. Until 2011, the
organization conducted a series of attacks and was the only organization known to use
2

Brennan, Charles Ries, Larry Hanauer, Ben Connable, Terrence Kelly, Michael McNerney, Stephanie Young,
Jason Campbell, Scott Malcolm - Ending the U.S. War in Iraq: The Final Transition, Operational Maneuver, and
Disestablishment of United States Forces-Iraq - Richard - RAND Corporation (November 4, 2013), p. 135
3
Richard Brennan p. 137

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improvised rocket-assisted mortars against U.S. forces. The organizations is perceived as a

Iranian proxy in Iraq4, with strong connections with the Lebanese Hezbollah. In 2009, the U.S.
Government formally declared Kataib Hezbollah as being a foreign terrorist organization.

III. Objectives, Ideology and Political Support

The main purpose of the organization was to fight against the US and Coalition
intervention in Iraq and to over-throw them away from the region. As there are some suspicions
that Iran is supporting Kataib Hezbollah, on of its aims could also be to support and establish a
Shiite Islamic government and ruling authority. The ideology of the organization may be
included in the religious-extremist category.
As it has links with the larger Hezbollah world-wide, the organization may also be in the
line of the latters goals: seeking to exert Iranian influence over Iraq, eradication of Israel and
liberation of Palestine.
In regard to the support it has, as stated above, the main contributors and financial
supporters may be: Iran through its Quds Force, Lebanese Hezbollah and also Syria 5. Most of the
Shia groups that operate in Iraq and Syria are considered to be well-trained and well-funded
because of the Iranian support. The Iranian side never admitted that was true, although evidence
had been brought into light, including testimonies and confessions of Kataib Hezbollahs
fighters after being arrested. The intermediary between the Iranian government and the Shia
militias is considered to be the Islamic Rvolutionary Guards Corps Qods Force, the elite unit
that is responsible for exporting the ideology of the Islamic Revolution abroad6. Also, it is
believed that the leader and founder of Kataib Hezbollah is Mahdi al-Muhandis (whose real
name is Jamal al-Ibrahimi), who was also an adviser for the Quds Force commander, Qasem
Soleimani. However, Irans involvement in the political context of the countries in the region is
not to be perceived only at this level. It uses other strategies as well, such as soft power and
support for Shia-oriented political parties.

http://www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/Pages/tg195.aspx
http://www.pvtr.org/pdf/GroupProfiles/Kata%27ibHezbollah-05March10.pdf p. 4
6
Michal Harari Status Update: Shia Militias in Iraq, Institute for the Study of War, August 16, 2010,
www.understandingwar.org, p. 2
5

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The connection between Syria and the Kataib Hezbollah group is to be simply proven by
the fact that in 2013 a large group of the organizations experienced Iraqi Shiite fighters were
involved alongside the forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad against the Sunni rebels in the
Syrian Civil War. Most of the fighters trainings now moved from the insurgent tactics used in
Iraq to the urban street-fighting and gaining of conventional military skills7.
There couldnt be proven any direct links between Kataib Hezbollah and a political party
in Iraq, nor does the organization seem to have its own political wing. More or less discussed
was a relationship with members of Badr Organization, a political party in Iraq that has been
formed after the U.S. invasion in Iraq.

IV.

Organizational Structure, Tactics and Strategies

There is not so much information to be found on the organizational structure of the group.
As it is linked to the Lebanese Hezbollah, it may have borrowed elements from this structure,
having a hierarchical infrastructure, with a strong role being given to the clerics and spiritual
leaders. They may also have a political wing and a financial committee. It may also be a
coalition of autonomous units that could include experienced fighters, low-level fighters and
part-time volunteers. For additional control, it may have a socio-religious wing to watch over the
respect of Islamic law, education and customs8.
Taking into consideration the fact that most of the organizations operations were
divided, yet coordinated in the same time, there is a very high possibility that Kataib Hezbollah
has a central command office, with a supreme leader coordinating other regional leaders, in
charge of specific areas and operations, with orders handed down to each region. The regions in
which the group operated were located in and around Baghdad Sadr City, Ali al Gharbi (245
km from Baghdad), Ali ash Sharqi (265 km from Baghdad), Maysan province and the city of
Amarah, Najaf9.

Michael Knights Irans Foreign Legion: The Role of Iraqi Shiite Militias in Syria, The Washington Institute for
Near East Policy, June 27, 2013, p. 2
8
http://www.pvtr.org/pdf/GroupProfiles/Kata%27ibHezbollah-05March10.pdf p. 5
9
http://www.pvtr.org/pdf/GroupProfiles/Kata%27ibHezbollah-05March10.pdf p. 1
7

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Thanks to external support, the group is believed to have a very good military capability,
with a number of members ranging from 400 to 2000 (as figures are presented in reports and
articles) and decent military weaponry: explosives, bombs, machine guns, mortars, snipers and
even tanks. Hence, their attacks have a very high deadly potential. They use classic guerilla
warfare strategies, including hit and run attacks and also they have been involved in traditional
military operations in Syria and against the Islamic State. The organization also was involved in
an attempt to kidnap US soldiers.
They also conducted a psychological war, especially against Coalition forces,
permanently posting threats and translating its attacks into propaganda in the form of movie clips
posted on their official website and other Internet pages. Their official website is constructed in a
very interactive and complex way (http://www.kataibhizbollah.org/) and they post here clips of
attacks, statements, articles etc. The complexity of the website and constant maintenance
indicates the fact that they have access to support from IT specialists and are aware of the fact
that the Internet can be an important means of making their voice heard. This kind of means of
transmitting the information is quite rare among other similar groups. They use the site in order
to gain support, spread their messages, instill fear and improve their image among Shia Muslims.
As mentioned above, the leader of the organization is believed to be Abu Mahdi alMuhandis, who is/was also an adviser for the Irans Quds Force. He is a citizen of both Iran and
Iraq and is believed to be responsible for organizing the smuggling of weapons and logistics
between Iran and Iraq and coordinating the movement of Iraqi fighters for trainings in Iran. Also,
he had been a member in the Iraqi Parliament from 2006 to 201010.
The name and the logo of the group also can be considered to be something specific for a
terrorist organization. Kataib Hezbollah could be translated as the Brigades of the Party of God,
a specific image of an army that many of the terrorist organizations tend to rhetorically invoke in
their names. Also, the logo is quite similar to the Hezbollah of Lebanons symbol, decripting an
arm raised with a AK-47 weapon, and in the down part with orange it is shown the map of Iraq.

10

Michal Harari , p. 6

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V. Attacks and Counter-terrorism Measures

The organization targetted during the U.S. led invasion of Iraq any individual that could
be associated with the United States or Coalition forces, including Iraq. Moreover, in 2008,
Kataib Hezbollah striked an attack on the Green Zone in Baghdad that resulted in the deaths of
two United Nations officials11. They conducted attacks on Coalition forces and imposed threats
on Iraqi politicians and any other person that was supporting any other form of political reform
than the one that could bring to power a Shiite government.
Since its formation in 2007, the group has conducted many attacks against U.S. forces,
the most important of them being the rocket attack in Rustamiya area of Baghdad (2008 one
US civilian dies and other people injured from the Coalition Forces personnel), RPG attack on
U.S. tanks in May 2008, the rocket attack over the International Zone in Baghdad (two UNofficials dead). Also, many videos of the attacks have been posted on the Internet. In 2010 they
also ambushed US and Iraqi forces in their attempt to enter Duwayjat city and in 2009 it is
believed that the group has intercepted an encrypted video of a Predator unmanned aerial vehicle
above Iraq.
In the face of the threat posted by this group, the United States and Iraqi security forces
have started to take a series of measures in order to stop the chain of attacks. So, on the 2 nd of
July 2009, the US Department of Treasury had declared Kataib Hezbollah as being a foreign
terrorist organization, saying that there is a link with the Lebanon Hezbollah and Iran and that it
is a threat to the stability of Iraq12.
Also, on February 2010, a U.S. and Iraqi security forces operation took place, a mission
that targetted Kataib Hezbollah in the province of Maysan. The operation had resulted in the
killing of five and 22 suspected members of the group to be arrested13.

http://www.pvtr.org/pdf/GroupProfiles/Kata%27ibHezbollah-05March10.pdf p. 9
http://www.reuters.com/article/2009/07/02/us-usa-treasury-iraq-idUSTRE56165320090702
13
Thomas Strouse Kataib Hezbollah and the Intricate Web of Iranian Military Involvement in Iraq, in the
Terrorism Monitor, Volume VIII, Issue 9, March 5, 2010, p. 3
11
12

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VI.

Is the Enemy of my Enemy still my Enemy?

The most interesting part of Kataib Hezbollahs evolution is to be seen in the recent fight
that has been started against the Islamic State, the Sunni religiously-inspired organization that
seems to represent nowadays the biggest threat and problem for the International Community.
In the recent period, Iran has provided Iraq help for the latter to fight against the Islamic
State militants, as the Coalition troops in Iraq have mostly retired and have for now just a limited
role. Moreover, it seems that the U.S. aided the Hezbollah Brigades and provided them with
indirect air support to stop the siege of Amerli, a Shia town of about 15.000 inhabitants, in
November 201414. Also, the Shia militias have been photographed using U.S. Abrams tanks and
other armored vehicles intended for the Iraqi regular army15.
Although there is no official statement saying that, the alliance between the two enemies
in the fight against ISIS is very visible, posting the United States in a uncomfortable situation, as
it is de facto fighting alongside a foreign terrorist organization, according to the declaration of
the U.S. Treasury in 2009 and also because, in Syria, Iran continues to support President Bashar
al-Assad, whose regime the United States would like to fall. Moreover, there has been a long
period of negotiations and sanctions imposed to Iran because of its nuclear programme.
So, the questions that rise from these series of events may be: Is the enemy of my enemy
becoming my ally or do the Shia militias hate more the Sunni than the U.S.? Whatever the
answers might be, there are rumors in the international press16 that seem to sugest the fact that
the United States would like Iran to become the predominant power in the Middle East region, an
actor that could maintain the situation under control.

14

http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2014/09/us_supported_hezboll.php
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/02/01/how-iran-is-making-it-impossible-for-the-us-to-beat-isis.html
16
http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2015/04/02/obamas-middle-east-policies-leave-saudi-arabia-iran-to-fightit-out
15

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Conclusion
The conclusion is that Kataib Hezbollah is a complex organization, a hybrid group, with
characteristics of a terrorist entity and those of a para-military, guerilla. This mix of features
makes it easier to prove that the organization in itself looks like a proxy, very probable to be
supported by Iran, that could be used for whatever the interests of the Iranian governement and
secret services are (from attacking the U.S. troops in Iraq to resisting the ISIS sieges of the
Iraqian cities and providing help to Bashar al-Assad in Syria). It is an elastic organization, easily
adaptable, compact and easily controlable.

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Bibliography
- Books and articles:

Bruce Hoffman, Inside Terrorism, Columbia University, New York 2006;

Brennan, Charles Ries, Larry Hanauer, Ben Connable, Terrence Kelly, Michael
McNerney, Stephanie Young, Jason Campbell, Scott Malcolm - Ending the U.S. War
in Iraq: The Final Transition, Operational Maneuver, and Disestablishment of United
States Forces-Iraq - Richard - RAND Corporation, 2013;

Max Weber Politics as a Vocation

http://anthropos-lab.net/wp/wp-

content/uploads/2011/12/Weber-Politics-as-a-Vocation.pdf;

Michal Harari Status Update: Shia Militias in Iraq, Institute for the Study of War,
August 16, 2010, www.understandingwar.org;

Michael Knights Irans Foreign Legion: The Role of Iraqi Shiite Militias in Syria,
The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, June 27, 2013;

Thomas Strouse Kataib Hezbollah and the Intricate Web of Iranian Military
Involvement in Iraq, in the Terrorism Monitor, Volume VIII, Issue 9, March 5, 2010.

- Internet sources:

http://www.pvtr.org/;

www.understandingwar.org;

http://www.reuters.com/article/2009/07/02/us-usa-treasury-iraqidUSTRE56165320090702;

http://www.longwarjournal.org/;

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/02/01/how-iran-is-making-it-impossiblefor-the-us-to-beat-isis.html.
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