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The United States once more focused on Iran this Wednesday, targeting its Axis of Resistance by designating four militias based in Iraq as Foreign Terrorist Organizations.
The State Department identified these groups as Harakat al-Nujaba, Kata’ib Sayyid al-Shuhada, Harakat Ansar Allah al-Awfiya, and Kata’ib al-Imam Ali, all of which the Department of Treasury had previously classified as Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGT) in 2023.
“Iran-aligned militia groups have carried out attacks on the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad and bases hosting U.S. and Coalition forces, frequently using front names or proxy groups to hide their role,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio mentioned in the statement.
Members of Harakat al-Nujaba display a Palestinian flag along with other flags at a protest supporting Palestinians in Gaza, held in Baghdad, Iraq, on October 8, 2023. (Reuters/Ahmed Saad)
“The Trump administration broke the taboo during term one when it demonstrated it could name, shame, and penalize Iran-backed militias in Iraq without causing a civil war,” Behnam Ben Taleblu, an expert on Iran and senior director of the FDD’s Iran program, expressed to Fox News Digital. “Now, during term two, the administration is escalating its efforts by continuing a campaign of designations against Iran’s agents of influence and terror in Iraq.”
The four terrorist organizations also function within the Popular Mobilization Forces, a coalition mainly comprised of Shia groups established by the Iraqi government to combat ISIS but also heavily influenced by Iran.
Members of the Popular Mobilization units, paramilitary forces that are dominated by Iran-backed Shiite militias, hold an Islamist flag in Tikrit, Iraq, on April 5, 2015. (Mohammed Sawaf/AFP via Getty Images)
“Tehran relies on these militias to literally have a state within a state in Iraq,” Ben Taleblu said. “Sandwiching these and other Iran-backed terror groups between Treasury Department [Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons] SDN listings and State Department [Foreign Terrorist Organizations] FTO listings, as the Trump administration previously did with their patron, the IRGC, in term one is the right approach.”
