Media Monitor

Dissolved Iraqi militia leader: ‘If America is satisfied with us, we must reevaluate ourselves’

BAGHDAD — Aws Al-Khafaji, leader of the dissolved militia Abu Al-Fadl Al-Abbas Forces revealed discussions with Iraqi fighters returning from Syria, who later realized that their involvement was to defend Bashar Al-Assad rather than the shrine of Sayyida Zainab.

The Shrine of Sayyida Zainab, located near Damascus, Syria, is one of the most revered sites for Shia Muslims worldwide. It is dedicated to Sayyida Zainab bint Ali, the granddaughter of the Prophet Muhammad and the sister of Imam Hussein, Shia’s second Imam.

In an interview with Al-Rasheed TV, he also quoted a faction leader who reportedly said, “Even if the Sayyida Zainab shrine is destroyed, brick by brick, I will not intervene.”

In February 2019, Iraqi forces, in coordination with the Popular Mobilization Forces, raided a base belonging to the group, arresting its leader, Al-Khafaji. According to the PMF, the raid was part of a broader operation targeting unauthorized groups falsely claiming affiliation with the PMF.

Excerpts from Aws al-Khafaji’s interview on Al-Rasheed TV:

It is true that if America is satisfied with us, we must reevaluate ourselves. However, equality is part of justice. They have placed my name on the terrorism list, but I refuse to be the first on the list if the criteria are based on harming Americans. While I oppose the [American] occupation and support those who fight it—and if I were able to fight them, I would—but I have not fought them during this period. I fought the Americans in 2004. Let them put me on the terrorism lists now, but I do not own any economic institution or bank accounts.

The Abu Al-Fadl Al-Abbas Forces was established in the vicinity of the Sayyida Zainab shrine [in Syria], and its forces remained around the shrine until 2015 when I ordered the withdrawal of Iraqis back to Iraq, leaving the Syrian wing of the faction in Damascus.

In 2017, I ordered the freezing of the faction’s operations and the surrender of its weapons to the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. Meanwhile, the Syrian wing withdrew to Lebanon after Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham took control.

It is not our fault that the [Bashar Al-Assad]’s regime relied on the pretext of protecting Sayyida Zainab to strengthen itself. But in the end, we defended the shrine.

I am the only one who called for volunteers and gathered 5,000 fighters in 60 hours. Some brothers said to me, ‘You are cunning; you don’t have forces, but you want to embarrass us.’

One of the faction leaders said during a secret meeting before Bashar Al-Assad’s fall that he would not intervene even if ‘Sayyida Zainab was destroyed, brick by brick.’ God is my witness to what I say.

Forty-eight hours before my arrest in 2019, I met the Iranian ambassador in a neutral location. He reproached me for criticizing the Islamic Republic, but I denied this and told him, ‘Why don’t you treat Iraqis like you treat Lebanese? Why are there 22 heads instead of one head as in Lebanon?’

The Iranians do not trust Iraqis because they think they might reconcile with Sayyid Muqtada Al-Sadr at any moment and abandon Iran. All current leaders are candidates for this scenario; they are all comrades in arms, like Sheikh Qais Khazali, Sheikh Akram Al-Kaabi, and Shibl Al-Zaidi.

The Sadrist Movement may participate in the elections and forge new alliances. However, I do not want them to return to politics. The movement has lost more than it gained by entering politics. In my prayers, I ask that Sadr does not return to politics.

The Sadrist Movement has not lost anything in the past three years; rather, it has gained the trust of the people and has ensured the presence of a group capable of opposing the government. I support Sayyid Sadr becoming a guide instead of being directly involved in selecting ministers or other political details.