Hadi al-Amiri(Arabic:هادي العامري,romanized:Hādī al-'Āmirī;born 1 July 1954) is an Iraqi politician who is the head and secretary general of theBadr Organization,a Shiite political party and paramilitary organization based inIraq.
Hadi al-Amiri | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of Parliament | |
| Assumed office 1 July 2014 | |
| Minister for Transport | |
| In office 21 December 2010 – 8 September 2014 | |
| Prime Minister | Nour al-Maliki |
| Preceded by | Amer Abdoljalil |
| Succeeded by | Baqir Jabr al-Zubeidi |
| President of the Badr Organization | |
| Assumed office 16 July 2009 | |
| Preceded by | Baqir Jabr al-Zubeidi |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1 July 1954 Diyala,Kingdom of Iraq |
| Political party | Badr Organization |
| Other political affiliations | Fatah Alliance |
| Alma mater | University of Baghdad |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Iraq |
| Branch/service | Popular Mobilization Forces |
| Years of service | 1982–present |
| Rank | Commander |
| Unit | Badr Brigade |
| Battles/wars | |
Biography
editAs a young man, Hadi al-Ameri was part of the (armed) struggle against theSaddam Hussein regime.During the Iran-Iraq war, he took refuge in Iran and stayed there until the fall ofSaddam Hussein.There he participated in the founding of the Badr Organization|Badr Brigade, an armed wing of theSupreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq,a Shiite political party which fought the Iraqi regime during theIran–Iraq Warof 1980–1988.[1]
Amiri has denied claims that he has overseen flights passing through Iraqi airspace from Iran to Syria containing shipments of weapons to help the Syrian Government in theSyrian Civil War.[1]However, he has proclaimed his affection forQasem Soleimani,the late commander ofQuds Force,a division of theIslamic Revolutionary Guard Corps,who was believed to have been playing an instrumental part in supporting Syrian PresidentBashar al-Assadin the conflict.[1]
He was the commander of Iraqi forces inthe operation to liberate Jurf Al Sakharduring2014 Iraqi conflict.[2]As a commander inPopular Mobilization Forces,he has been active in the operations against ISIL. He has been described as "perhaps the most powerful and pro-Iranian" leader in the Popular Mobilization Forces and often metBrett H. McGurk,President Donald J. Trump's US Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL.[3]He is fluent inPersian.[4]
In 2011, he accompanied the Iraqi Prime MinisterNouri al-Malikion a visit to the White House duringBarack Obama's presidency, in his capacity as Secretary of Transportation and also as a foe of (former Iraqi president) Saddam Hussein.[5][6]
On 31 December 2019, along withAbu Mahdi al-Muhandis,Qais Khazali,andFalih Al-Fayyadh,US Secretary of StateMike Pompeoclaimed him to be a leader of theattack on the United States embassy in Baghdad.[6]In the aftermath of the2020 Baghdad International Airport airstrikewhich resulted in the deaths ofQasem Soleimaniand Muhandis, Amiri was seen as a candidate to replace Muhandis as a leader of thePopular Mobilization Forces,[7]an Iraqi coalition of militias which fought against theIslamic State of Iraq and the Levantterrorist group.
2021 Iraqi elections
editAmiri dismissed the2021 Iraqi parliamentary electionas "fabricated".[8]
References
edit- ^abcDexter Filkins, Dexter (30 September 2013)."The Shadow Commander".The New Yorker.Retrieved27 September2013.
- ^Morris, Loveday; Salim, Mustafa (25 October 2014)."Iraqi forces press to secure Shiite south before religious observances believed to be target of Islamic State".The Washington Post.Retrieved4 November2016.
- ^"As Islamic State withers, the alliance against it is fraying".The Economist.31 August 2017.Retrieved3 September2017.
- ^"America and Iran are jostling for influence over Iraq".The Economist.12 April 2017.Retrieved21 April2017.
- ^"Leader of U.S. Embassy siege in Iraq was guest of Obama at White House".The Washington Times.2 January 2020.
- ^ab"US embassy siege leader was guest at White House during Obama presidency".Al Arabiya English. 3 January 2020. Archived fromthe originalon 4 January 2020.Retrieved3 January2020.
- ^Aboulenein, Ahmed; El Dahan, Maha (3 January 2020)."Large crowds mourn Iranian general, others killed in U.S. air strike".Reuters.Archivedfrom the original on 4 January 2020.Retrieved4 January2020.
- ^"Iraqi pro-Iranian politician Amiri rejects election results as fabricated - TV".Reuters.12 October 2021 – via reuters.