Kata'ib Sayyid al-Shuhada

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Kata'ib Sayyid al-Shuhada
كتائب سيد الشهداء
LeadersAbu Ala al-Walai[1]
Abu Mustafa al-Sheibani[2]
Dates of operation2013–present[3]
Allegiance Iraq
Group(s)
  • Liwa al-Sayyida Ruqayya (The Ja'afari Force)[4]
Active regionsSaladin Governorate[5]
Damascus Governorate[3]
Daraa Governorate[3]
IdeologyShia Islamism
Wilayat al Faqih[6]
Khomeinism
Anti-Zionism
Size10,000 (December 2020)[2]
Part of Popular Mobilization Forces
AlliesState allies
  •  Iran[7]
  •  Syria
    • National Defense Force

Non-state allies

Opponents
  • Free Syrian Army[5]
  • Islamic Front
  • Al-Nusra Front[5]
  •  Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
  • Tahrir al-Sham[5]
  •  United States[9]
Battles and warsSyrian Civil War
  • Battle of Al-Shaykh Maskin[10]

Iraqi Civil War (2014–2017)

  • Salahuddin campaign[11]
  • Second Battle of Tikrit (March 2015)[12]
WebsiteOfficial website
Preceded by
Sheibani Network[13]

The Master of Martyrs Battalions, or Kata'ib Sayyid al-Shuhada' (KSS) (Arabic: كتائب سيد الشهداء, The Battalions of the Master of Martyrs) is an Iraqi Shia militia formed in 2013. Its stated mission is to protect "(Shia) shrines across the globe", preserve "Iraqi unity" and to "put an end to the sectarian conflict".

The group has been described as an Iranian proxy, and is one of the original militias that formed the Popular Mobilization Forces in 2014. The group has close ties to the Badr Organization.[14]

The group is also active in Syria, where its main focus is the protection of the Sayyidah Zaynab Mosque in the southern suburbs of Damascus. It militarily supports the al-Assad Government in the Syria Civil War,[3] and engaged in the Battle of Al-Shaykh Maskin in December 2014 in Syria in support of the Syrian army.[10]

See also[]

  • List of armed groups in the Iraqi Civil War
  • List of armed groups in the Syrian Civil War
  • Popular Mobilization Forces
  • Holy Shrine Defender
  • Private militias in Iraq

References[]

  1. ^ "US mulls how best to Control pro-Iran Factions | Iraq Business News - Part 2". 30 May 2017.
  2. ^ a b Michael Knights (23 June 2017). "Iran's Foreign Legion: The Role of Iraqi Shiite Militias in Syria". Washington Institute for Near East Policy. Retrieved 4 December 2014.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Kata'ib Sayyid al-Shuhada". Tracking Terrorism. Retrieved 4 December 2014.
  4. ^ "Liwa al-Sayyida Ruqayya: Recruiting the Shi'a of Damascus".
  5. ^ a b c d e f g "MMP: Kata'ib Sayyid al-Shuhada".
  6. ^ "قيادي في «الحشد الشعبي»: نتبع ولاية الفقيه لا ساسة العراق". 3 August 2016.
  7. ^ Fahim, Kareem; Barnard, Anne (21 October 2015). "Russia Makes an Impact in Syrian Battle for Control of Aleppo". The New York Times.
  8. ^ "Hizb Allah's Gambit in Syria". 27 August 2013.
  9. ^ "الحشد يعلق على القصف الأمريكي ضد كتائب سيد الشهداء غرب الأنبار .. ويتوعد بالرد".
  10. ^ a b "Syria Update: November 25 – December 02, 2014". Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved 3 December 2014.
  11. ^ "Iranian-backed militia seen with US tank in Iraq | FDD's Long War Journal".
  12. ^ "Shiite militias, Iraqi forces surround Tikrit". 10 March 2015. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
  13. ^ "The Shiite Jihad in Syria and Its Regional Effects APPENDIX 2 Understanding the Organizations Deployed to Syria" (PDF). Washington Institute for Near East Policy. February 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 25, 2016. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
  14. ^ "Hizballah Cavalcade: Kata'ib Sayyid al-Shuhada Emerges: Updates on the New Iraqi Shia Militia Supplying Fighters to Syria". Retrieved 10 March 2015.

External links[]

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