On
August 12, a large militia ammunition dump caught fire in southern Baghdad,
sending rockets careening across the skies over the capital. The incident is
one of several major explosions at such facilities around the city in recent
years; it also follows other recent hazards directly tied to Iran-backed
groups, from militia attacks on Western investors to suspected Israeli strikes
against militia bases. With the government thus far proving unable to rein in
even the smallest militias, the negative impact of unchecked foreign-backed
armed groups is increasingly falling on Iraqi civilians, a consequence that the
international community should devote much more attention to when engaging
Baghdad.
Explosions
at Ammo Dumps
Perhaps
the most pressing public safety issue is the growing pattern of major
explosions in densely populated urban areas, caused by militias storing
explosives and projectiles in unsafe conditions during periods of high heat.
The
August 12 explosion occurred at an ammunition storage facility at Camp al-Saqr,
killing one civilian and wounding twenty-nine others. Debris rained down as far
as three miles away. The base was used by two militias from Kataib Jund al-Imam
(Brigade 6) and Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada (Brigade 14) along with various armed
groups affiliated with the Iran-allied Badr Organization.
On
November 3, 2018, a munitions explosion occurred at a base in Tuz Khormatu used
by Kataib Hezbollah (Brigades 45, 46, 47), wounding thirty-six civilians.
On
August 6, 2018, a blast occurred at an ammunition storage warehouse owned by
al-Abbas Combat Division (Brigade 26) on the highway between Baghdad and
Karbala, killing one and wounding nineteen.
On
June 6, 2018, an ammunition cache exploded inside a Shia mosque in Baghdad’s
Sadr City district, killing eighteen civilians, wounding ninety, and reducing
an entire city block to rubble. The cache likely belonged to either Asaib Ahl
al-Haq (Brigades 41, 42, 43) or Saraya al-Salam (Brigade 313).
On
September 2, 2016, another arms cache belonging to AAH exploded in the Ubaidi
district of east Baghdad, killing fifteen civilians, wounding dozens more, and
igniting eight rockets that landed within the city.
Explosions
at Missile-Related Sites
At
least two such incidents have occurred at militia bases where Iranian long-range
rockets and other explosives are reportedly stored. In at least one case, the
evidence points to precision military strikes, perhaps by Israel.
On
July 19, an explosion rocked a militia base in Amerli operated by Quwat
al-Turkmen (Brigade 16) and Fawj Amerli (Brigade 52). One member of Iran’s
Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) was killed, according to related funeral
announcements. Numerous indications suggest a very precise military strike
against an Iranian-provided missile system, with the intention of minimizing
harm to civilians.
On
July 28, three explosions were reported at Camp Ashraf, the Badr Organization’s
main militia facility in Iraq, located northeast of Baghdad. The nature of the
incident—simultaneous explosions at three widely separated locations in a 10
kilometer by 10 kilometer camp—rules out accidental causes. Iraqi and US
analysts consider it likely that the camp contains Iranian-provided missile
systems.
Attacks
on Civil Society and Civilians
Militias
associated with Iran have also been credibly accused of violence against civil
society groups and individual civilians.
Large-scale
illegal detention. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have issued
substantial reports documenting the disappearance of 643 Sunni Muslim males
from Fallujah and Saqlawiyah, and further mass disappearances of Sunni males at
Razzaza. These were largely attributed to Kataib Hezbollah, which maintains an
illegal detention facility with at least 1,700 prisoners in Jurf al-Sakhar just
south of Baghdad. The Iraqi government has taken no action to free these
detainees or investigate human rights abuses related to their captivity.
Suppression
of civil society. In Basra, where public discontent has been simmering due to
poor services and unemployment, some militias have been allowed to disrupt
demonstrations against the government. This tactic—reminiscent of Iran’s use of
Ansar-e Hezbollah vigilantes to break up protests in its own cities—has
resulted in dozens of assassinations and violent abductions of civil society
activists in southern Iraq this summer.
Attacks
on clergy. In Baghdad, even the most politically connected members of society
are not safe if militias choose to target them. Alaa al-Musawi—appointed head
of the Shia waqf (religious endowment) by Iraq’s most senior cleric, Ali
al-Sistani—suffered a home invasion by AAH forces on July 10 and thereafter had
to be sheltered in a government safe house. Although the exact identity of his
attackers is widely known in Iraqi society, nothing has been done to punish the
AAH militiamen involved.
Attacks
on Foreign Partners and Investors
In
recent months, Iraq’s most important investors—oil companies—have suffered
escalating violence.
Attacks
on Basra consulate. Militias launched a series of rocket strikes on the US consulate in Basra on September 7, 8, and 28, 2018. Armed groups also
threatened local employees of the consulate, menaced vehicle movements to and
from the facility, and issued kidnap warnings. The consulate was shuttered soon
after these incidents, damaging investor confidence in Iraq.
Rocket
attacks on oil company sites. On June 18-19, 2019, rockets were fired at three
foreign engineer camps in Basra’s Rumaila oil field and nearby Burjesia. Three
Iraqis were wounded when the strikes hit the state-owned Iraqi Drilling
Company, damaging the government’s efforts to achieve greater energy
self-sufficiency.
Rocket
attack on defense contractors. On June 18, a rocket was launched at US
contractors in Balad who were providing technical services to help Iraq’s F-16
fleet continue striking ISIS forces.
Attack
on US embassy supply vehicles. On July 6, three roadside bombs detonated
against a US embassy logistical truck convoy in Safwan. Fragmentation-type
munitions packed with ball bearings were used, injuring one driver.
Attack
on investor vehicles. On August 6, Western oil industry personnel were struck
by a roadside bomb in Basra, seriously damaging their vehicle. The incident
involved the same type of fragmentation device seen in the Safwan attack, which
likewise resembled four devices found in Rumaila, Ratawi, and Halfaya within a
week in early December 2018. All of the latter devices had been placed near oil
field highway entrances used by foreign engineers.
Need
for Greater International Scrutiny
Iran-backed
militias are implementing an independent foreign policy in Iraq, making a
mockery of the country’s government and constitution. They are not just
threatening Westerners—Iraqis are the principal victims of their activities,
and always have been. More attention should be focused on these effects, which
include greater security risks for Iraqis, disruption of their ongoing struggle
against ISIS, and the loss of much-needed foreign investment and international
prestige.
Militia
control of heavy weapons is a particularly pressing issue. For the most part,
Iraq’s cities are no longer threatened by regular ISIS attacks; instead, Iraqis
have more to fear from a militia ammunition dump exploding in their
neighborhood. Militias have evolved from a source of protection to one of the
last remaining sources of threat to urban populations. In particular, when they
hide large Iranian missiles in smaller towns like Amerli, they put the entire
local citizenry at risk.
The
United States and other international actors should doggedly raise the heavy
weapons risk in all meetings with senior Iraqi government leaders. Iran-backed
brigades do not require rocket artillery for their counterinsurgency missions
against ISIS, much less Iranian short-range ballistic missiles. All such
weapons should be declared, accounted for, documented, and moved to secure
government storage facilities outside the cities.
International
actors should also draw Baghdad’s attention to ongoing human rights violations
perpetrated by some militias, in many cases Iran-backed players such as Kataib Hezbollah,
AAH, and lesser-known units. Kataib Hezbollah’s well-documented mass detention
center just outside Baghdad is a travesty, and one that human rights watchdogs
should keep focusing on. This same facility—Jurf al-Sakhar—was the launch point
for drone attacks on Saudi oil facilities on May 14, further underlining the
consequences of the Iraqi government’s failure on this crucial issue.