Khazali Network
| Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq (AAH) | |
|---|---|
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عصائب أهل الحق Participant in Iraq War Iraqi Civil War Syrian Civil War |
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Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq's flag
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| Active | July 2006 – present |
| Ideology | Shia Islamism (Wilayat al Faqih) |
| Leaders |
Qais al-Khazali Akram al-Kabi (2007–2010) |
| Headquarters | Sadr City, Baghdad, Iraq |
| Area of operations | Mainly Baghdad and Southern Iraq; also active in Iraq's Central regions and Syria |
| Size | 10,000 |
| Part of | Popular Mobilization Forces |
| Originated as | Mahdi Army |
| Allies |
 Iraq Syria Iran Kata'ib Hezbollah Promised Day BrigadesOther Special Groups Liwa Abu al-Fadhal al-Abbas Hezbollah |
| Opponents |
Iraq War: Multi-National Force – Iraq Islamic State of Iraq and the LevantSyrian Civil War:  Free Syrian Army Islamic Front al-Nusrah Front Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
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| Battles and wars |
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Iraqi Civil War (2014-present)
Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq (AAH; Arabic: عصائب أهل الحق ‘Aṣayib Ahl al-Haq, "League of Righteous People"), also known as the Khazali Network, is an Iraqi Shi'a paramilitary group active in the Iraqi insurgency and Syrian Civil War. During the Iraq War it was known as Iraq's largest "Special Group" (the Americans' term for Iran-backed Shia paramilitaries in Iraq), and claimed responsibility for over 6,000 attacks on American and Coalition forces. The group is currently fighting against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant as part of the Popular Moblization Forces. The group is funded and trained by Iran's Quds Force.
Qais al-Khazali split from Muqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army after the Shi'a uprising in 2004 to create his own Khazali network. When the Mahdi Army signed a cease-fire with the government and the Americans and the fighting stopped, Qais al-Khazalinnnnnnfaction continued fighting, and during the battle Khazali was already issuing his own orders to militiamen without Muqtada al-Sadr's approval. The group's leadership (which includes Qais Khazali, Abd al-Hadi al-Darraji (a politician in Muqtada al-Sadr's Sadr Movement) and Akram al-Kaabi), however, reconciled with al-Sadr in mid-2005. In July 2006, Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq was founded and became one of the Special Groups which operated more independently from the rest of the Mahdi Army. It became a completely independent organisation after the Mahdi Army's disbanding after the 2008 Shi'a uprising. In November 2008 when Sadr created the Promised Day Brigade to succeed the Mahdi Army, he asked AAH (and other Special Groups) to join, but they declined.
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