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Iraq
Kataib Hezbollah fighters pictured in Baghdad on June 29, 2020 stand on photos of Iraqi PM Mustafa al-Kadhimi after being released by Iraqi counter-terrorism forces. Photo: social media
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Hours after the release of their fighters detained by Iraqi authorities, Iran-backed militia Kataib Hezbollah released a statement on Monday refusing to put down their weapons.
Iraqi Counter Terrorism Service (ICTS) personnel raided the headquarters of the Iran-backed Kataib Hezbollah militia in Baghdad province early Friday, detaining at least 14 fighters of the group who were accused of recent rocket attacks in Baghdad, the Iraqi Joint Operation Command announced on Friday.
All of the detained fighters have since been released, with no official statement made by the Iraqi government on the results of the investigation they vowed to conduct.
Kataib Hezbollah is an Iranian-backed militia falling under the umbrella of Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), a predominantly Shiite militia network known in Arabic as Hashd al-Shaabi.
After the release of the fighters, photos circulated on social media showing milita members stepping on posters of Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi while waving Iraqi flags. Some other photos shared multiple times on social media showed the fighters burning US and Israeli flags.
Kataib Hezbollah released a statement on Monday, in which it refused to hand over “the weapon of Islamic resistance.”
“The weapon of Islamic resistance is the root of the principles of Sharia [Islamic law], and it will not be handed over to anyone, except to Mawlana Ibn Al-Hassan [Shiite figure], peace be upon him,” read a statement on Telegram messaging app.
The group has repeatedly carried out rocket attacks against US forces in Iraq.
Following months of heightened tensions between the US and Iran, rocket attacks on US infrastructure and personnel in Baghdad’s fortified Green Zone and elsewhere in Iraq have become increasingly frequent.
On December 27, a rocket attack on the K-1 military base in Kirkuk, widely blamed on Kataib Hezbollah, killed a US civilian contractor and injured other personnel.
The US responded with airstrikes on Kataib Hezbollah targets on December 29, killing 25 of the militia’s fighters. A few days later, supporters of the group stormed the US embassy compound in Baghdad.
This was followed on January 3 by a US drone strike on Baghdad airport, killing Iranian General Qasem Soleimani and PMF deputy chief Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis. Iran responded on January 8 with a barrage of missiles targeting Iraqi bases hosting US troops.
The deadliest rocket attack was conducted on March 11, in which more than a dozen Katyusha rockets targeted Taji military base, around 27 km north of Baghdad, killing two US personnel (one contractor and one soldier) and a Briton, in which Kataib Hezbollah militia was accused of being responsible.
On March 14, Kataib Hezbollah targeted Taji military base in a rare daytime attack with more than 30 Katyusha rockets, wounding three coalition troops and two Iraqis.
The US has set up Patriot air defense batteries at Ain al-Asad military base in Anbar province, as well as in Erbil, to protect from further offensives.
The Iraqi government has long promised to capture those behind the attacks.
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