Overview
Hashim Finyan Rahim al-Saraji, also known as Abu Waala al Wa’eli or Walai, is the U.S.-designated secretary-general of Kata’ib Sayyid al Shuhada (KSS), an Iraqi militia supported by and ideologically aligned with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Wa’eli has previously announced his support of the Houthi movement and has stated in the past that KSS is a faction of the terror group.Caleb Weiss, “Iraqi Shia militia ‘willing to send fighters to Yemen’,” Long War Journal, July 9, 2018, https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2018/07/iraqi-shia-militia-willing-to-send-fighters-to-yemen.php. Given KSS’s activities in advancing Iran’s interests in the region and their ongoing campaign against U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria, the U.S. Department of State designated Wa’eli as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist on November 17, 2023.“Terrorist Designations of Iran-aligned Militia Groups,” U.S. Department of State, November 17, 2023, https://www.state.gov/terrorist-designations-of-iran-aligned-militia-groups/.
Before joining KSS, Wa’eli was a member of Kata’ib Hezbollah (KH), a U.S.-designated anti-American Shiite militia operating in Iraq with ancillary operations in Syria.Michael Knights, “OFAC Designates Iraqi Militiamen (Part 2): KSS and Abu Ala al-Walai,” Washington Institute for Near East Policy, November 17, 2023, https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/ofac-designates-iraqi-militiamen-part-2-kss-and-abu-ala-al-walai. His militant activities as a KH member reportedly led to his incarceration in a U.S. prison until he was released in 2010. At the outset of Syria’s civil war in the early 2010s, KH members from the militia’s Abu Hussein and Abu Fadak wings went on to form KSS, with Wa’eli joining their ranks. KSS expanded its presence in Iraq after ISIS swept through the country in 2014.“Part 2: Pro-Iran Militias in Iraq,” Wilson Center, April 27, 2018, https://www.wilsoncenter.org/article/part-2-pro-iran-militias-iraq. The Iraqi militia currently operates as a member of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), designated as Brigade 14.Renad Mansour and Faleh A. Jabar, “The Popular Mobilization Forces and Iraq’s Future,” Carnegie Middle East Center, April 28, 2017, https://carnegie-mec.org/2017/04/28/popular-mobilization-forces-and-iraq-s-future-pub-68810. The Iraqi government created the PMF in June 2014 to unite various Shiite forces in the country in the fight against ISIS.“Top Iraqi Militia Leader: Fighting for Iran under Soleimani's leadership Is “Blessing from God”,” Middle East Institute, April 5, 2017, http://www.mei.edu/publications/top-iraqi-militia-leader-fighting-iran-under-soleimanis-leadership-blessing-god; Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi, “Hashd Brigade Numbers Index,” Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi's Blog, October 31, 2017, http://www.aymennjawad.org/2017/10/hashd-brigade-numbers-index. KSS works closely with other pro-Iran PMF units and its commanders have met personally with Qasem Soleimani, the deceased commander of the Quds Force, the elite IRGC military unit that coordinates Iran’s support to its foreign terrorist proxies.Caleb Weiss, “Iranian general at the forefront of the Tikrit offensive,” Long War Journal, March 5, 2015, https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2015/03/iranian-general-at-the-forefront-of-the-tikrit-offensive.php. KSS receives funds from the Iraqi government as well as directly from the IRGC-QF.“Kata’ib Sayyid al-Shuhada,” Mapping Militant Organizations, last modified December 28, 2016, https://web.stanford.edu/group/mappingmilitants/cgi-bin/groups/view/629. KSS supports the IRGC-QF’s affiliate network as well, with Wa’eli claiming in 2018 that his militia would send his men to Yemen to fight alongside the Iran-backed Houthis against the Saudi-led coalition.Caleb Weiss, “Iraqi Shia Militia ‘Willing to Send Fighters to Yemen,’” Long War Journal, July 9, 2018, https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2018/07/iraqi-shia-militia-willing-to-send-fighters-to-yemen.php.
Following Soleimani’s death in a U.S. airstrike in January 2020, Wa’eli was one of the muqawama (resistance) leaders to report to Soleimani’s successor, Ismail Ghaani.Michael Knights, Crispin Smith, and Hamdi Malik, “Discordance in the Iran Threat Network in Iraq: Militia Competition and Rivalry,” Combating Terrorism Center at West Point, October 2021, https://ctc.westpoint.edu/discordance-in-the-iran-threat-network-in-iraq-militia-competition-and-rivalry/. Wa’eli’s proximity to senior leaders within Iran’s elite IRGC-QF suggests KSS serves a pivotal role in Iran’s operations across Syria and Iraq.
In October 2023, an umbrella group called the Islamic Resistance in Iraq (IRI) emerged after the start of the Hamas-Israel war in the Gaza Strip. The IRI is reportedly a coalition of all Iran-backed Shiite militias operating in Iraq. Among the groups included are Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba (HHN), Kataib Hezbollah (KH), Asaib Ahl al-Haq (AAH), and KSS, as well as lesser-known militias, such as Tashkil al-Waritheen. The group quickly launched dozens of attacks on U.S. forces and military bases across Iraq and Syria in retaliation for the United States’ stance on the Gaza crisis.Hamdi Malik and Michael Knights, “Profile: The Islamic Resistance in Iraq,” Washington Institute for Near East Policy, October 21, 2023, https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/profile-islamic-resistance-iraq. By January 2024, the militant coalition carried out more than 100 attacks.Raya Jalabi and Felicia Schwartz, “US air strike kills commander of Iran-backed militia in Baghdad,” Financial Times, January 4, 2024, https://www.ft.com/content/6c70205d-e2b0-4f1a-bb19-835f7aa2b268.
On November 17, 2023, the U.S. Department of State designated KSS and Wa’eli as Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs) for the group’s role in threatening the lives of U.S. and Global Coalition personnel in Iraq and Syria.“Terrorist Designations of Iran-aligned Militia Groups,” U.S. Department of State, November 17, 2023, https://www.state.gov/terrorist-designations-of-iran-aligned-militia-groups/.
Associated Groups
- Extremist entity
- Kata’ib Sayyid al Shuhada
- Read Threat Report
- Type(s) of Organization:
- Militia, political party, religious, social services provider, terrorist, transnational, violent
- Ideologies and Affiliations:
- Iranian-sponsored, Shiite, Jihadist, Khomeinist
- Position(s):
- Secretary-general
Kata’ib Sayyid al Shuhada (KSS) is an Iraqi militia that has fought in both Iraq and Syria and is closely connected to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Houthis.
History
United States
The U.S. Department of the Treasury designated “Hashim Finyan Rahim al-Saraji” as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist on November 17, 2023.“Terrorist Designations of Iran-aligned Militia Groups,” U.S. Department of State, November 17, 2023, https://www.state.gov/terrorist-designations-of-iran-aligned-militia-groups/.
Daily Dose
Extremists: Their Words. Their Actions.
In Their Own Words:
We reiterate once again that the brigades will directly target US bases across the region in case the US enemy commits a folly and decides to strike our resistance fighters and their camps [in Iraq].
Mar. 2023