Badr Organization

Not to be confused withBadr Brigade in the Jordanian Army.

TheBadr Organization(Arabic:منظمة بدرMunaẓẓama Badr), previously known as theBadr BrigadesorBadr Corps,is anIraqiShia IslamistandKhomeinistpolitical party and paramilitary organization headed byHadi al-Amiri.The Badr Brigade, formed in 1982 and led by Iranian officers, served as the military arm of theSupreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq(SCIRI), a Shia Islamic party based in Iran. The Badr Brigade was created by Iranian intelligence and Shia clericMohammad Baqir al-Hakimwith the aim of fighting theBa'athist regimeofSaddam Husseinduring theIran–Iraq War.Since the2003 US-led invasion of Iraq,most of the Badr Brigade fighters have entered the new Iraqi army and police force. Since 2003, the Badr Brigade and SCIRI were considered to be one party, but have recently unofficially separatedwith the Badr Organization now being an official Iraqi political party. Badr Brigade forces, and their Iranian commanders, have come to prominence in 2014 fighting theIslamic State of Iraq and the Levant(ISIL) in Iraq.It is a part of thePopular Mobilization Forces.

Badr Organization منظمة بدر
Leader	Hadi al-Amiri
Founded	1982–2003(1982–2003)as the military wing of theISCI 2003–present as a political movement
Ideology	Shia Islamism Khomeinism Anti-Sunnism Conservatism
Political position	Right-wing
Religion	Shia Islam
National affiliation	National Iraqi Alliance(2005–2014) State of Law Coalition(2014–18) Fatah Alliance(2018–present)
International affiliation	Axis of Resistance
Seats in theCouncil of Representatives of Iraq:	17 / 329
Politics of Iraq Political parties Elections

Badr Organization
Leaders	Hadi Al-Amiri
Dates of operation	1982–2003 (officially) 2014–present
Allegiance	Iran(IRGC) (alleged)
Group(s)	Structure
Headquarters	Najaf,Iraq
Active regions	Baghdadand SouthernIraq
Size	15,000 (2008) 10,000–15,000 (2014)
Part of	Popular Mobilization Forces(2014–present)
Allies	State allies: Iran Iraq Ba'athist Syria(until 2024) Non-state allies: Islamic Dawa Party(Nouri al-Maliki) Kata'ib Sayyid al-Shuhada Hezbollah Saraya Ansar al-Aqeeda Quwwat Sahl Ninawa Liwa Assad Allah al-Ghalib fi al-Iraq wa al-Sham Kata'ib Hezbollah
Opponents	State opponents: Israel Ba'athist Iraq(1982–2003) Non-state opponents: Army of the Men of the Naqshbandi Order People's Mujahedin of Iran Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant Free Syrian Army Peshmerga
Battles and wars	Iran–Iraq War 1991 uprisings in Iraq 1991 uprising in Basra 1991 uprising in Karbala Kurdish Civil War Iraq War Battle of Amarah Battle of Basra War in Iraq (2013–2017) Salahuddin campaign Siege of Amirli Operation Ashura Dhuluiya offensive Battle of Baiji (2014–15) Second Battle of Tikrit Battle of Mosul (2016) 2015–2018 Iraqi protests Syrian Civil War Aleppo offensive (October–December 2015) Northern Aleppo offensive (February 2016) Palmyra offensive (March 2016) 2016 Southern Aleppo campaign Northwestern Syria offensive (2024)
Designated as a terrorist groupby	United Arab Emirates

History

SCIRI

The organization was formed in Iran in 1982 as the military wing of theSupreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq.It was based in Iran for two decades during the rule ofSaddam Husseinand led by Iranian officers. It consisted of several thousand Iraqi exiles, refugees, and Iraqi Army defectors who fought alongside Iranian troops in theIran–Iraq War.The group was armed and directed by Iran.

They briefly returned to Iraq in 1991 during the1991 Iraqi uprisingto fight against Saddam Hussein, focusing on the Shia holy cities ofNajafandKarbala.They retreated into Iran after the uprising was crushed.

In 1995, during theKurdish Civil War,Iran deployed 5,000 Badr fighters to Iraqi Kurdistan.

Post-invasion Iraq

Returning to Iraq following the 2003 US-led invasion, the group changed its name from brigade to organization in response to the attempted voluntary disarming of Iraqi militias by theCoalition Provisional Authority.It is however widely believed the organization is still active as a militia within the security forces and it has been accused of running a secret prisonand sectarian killings during theIraqi Civil War.

Because of their opposition to Saddam Hussein, the Badr Brigade was seen as a U.S. asset in the fight againstBaathistpartisans. After thefall of Baghdad,Badr forces reportedly joined the newly reconstituted army, police, and the Interior Ministry in significant numbers. The Interior Ministry was controlled by SCIRI, and many Badr members became part of the Interior Ministry-runWolf Brigade.The Iraqi Interior Minister,Bayan Jabr,was a former leader of Badr Brigade militia.

In 2006 the United Nations human rights chief in Iraq, John Pace, said that hundreds of Iraqis were being tortured to death or executed by the Interior Ministry under SCIRI's control.According to a 2006 report by theIndependentnewspaper:

"Mr Pace said the Ministry of the Interior was 'acting as a rogue element within the government'. It was controlled by the main Shia party, the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq (Sciri); the Interior Minister,Baqir Jabr al-Zubeidi,is a former leader of SCIRI's Badr Brigade militia, which was one of the main groups accused of carrying out sectarian killings. Another was the Mahdi Army of the young clericMuqtada al-Sadr,who is now part of the Shia coalition seeking to form a government after winning the mid-December election.

Many of the 110,000 policemen and police commandos under the ministry's control are suspected of being former members of the Badr Brigade. Not only counterinsurgency units such as the Wolf Brigade, the Scorpions, and the Tigers, but the commandos and even the highway patrol police were accused of acting asdeath squadsduring this period over a decade ago.

The paramilitary commandos, dressed in garish camouflage uniforms and driving around in pick-up trucks, were dreaded in Sunni neighbourhoods. People arrested by them during this period were frequently found dead several days later with their bodies bearing obvious marks of torture. "

Military action against ISIL

Main article:War in Iraq (2013–2017)

FollowingISIL's successfulAnbar campaignandJune 2014 offensive,the Badr Organization mobilized and won a series of battles against ISIL, including theLiberation of Jurf Al Sakhrand theLifting of the Siege of Amirli.In early February 2015, the group, operating from its base atCamp Ashraf,fought inDiyala Governorateagainst ISIL. Over 100 militia were killed in the fighting, including 25 inAl Mansouryah.Badr's leader,Hadi al-Amiri,said his militiamen were committed to the safety ofSunnis,but deep mutual suspicions remained in the light of recent sectarian killings and the suspicion that some Sunni tribes were allied with IS.A leaked US diplomatic cable cited sources alleging that Hadi al-Amiri personally ordered attacks on Sunnis.

Structure

The tombs of the martyred members of the Badr Organization inGolzar ShahadaofQom

The graves of the members of the Badr Organization in theGolzar ShahadaofQom

The Badr Corps consists of infantry, armor, artillery, anti-aircraft, and commando units with an estimated strength of between 10,000 and 50,000 men (according to the Badr Organization).

• Quwat al-Shahid Muhammed Baqir al-Sadr
• Imam Muhammad al-Jawad Brigade
• Karbala Brigade
• Tashkil al-Karar
• The Turkmen Brigade Northern Front
• Quwat al-Shaheed al-Qa'id Abu Muntadhar al-Muhammadawi
• Tashkil Malik al-Ashtar
• Feyli Kurd Brigade– 16 June 2014
  • Led by Secretary-General ofSupreme National Front of Feyli Kurds,Maher al-Feyli
  • Size: 1,000–5,000
  • Helped by: Saad al-Madlabi (fromState of Law Coalition) andMouin Al-Kazmi

Scientific evaluation

TheGerman Institute for International and Security Affairs(SWP) recognized a rise in the Shiite Badr organization since 2014 under the leadership of its Secretary General Hadi al-Amiri. In 2017, SWP wrote that the Badr organization is one of "the most important actors in Iraqi politics". It has become the most important instrument of Iranian politics in Iraq. Its aim is "to exert the greatest possible influence on the central government in Baghdad and at the same time to build the strongest possible Shiite militias that are dependent on Iran". The foundation compared the role of the organization with that ofHezbollahinLebanon.

See also

• Private militias in Iraq
• List of armed groups in the War in Iraq (2013-17)
• List of armed groups in the Syrian Civil War
• Holy Shrine Defender

External links

• Michele Norris & Ivan Watson,"Profile: Opposition Group Claiming to Represent Iraqi Shias Enters Northern Iraq,"All Things Considered(March 10, 2003), NPR.
• Counter Extremism Projectprofile