US offers $10 million reward for information on Kata’ib Sayyid al-Shuhada leader

BAGHDAD — The U.S. Department of State’s Rewards for Justice program announced Friday a reward of up to $10 million for information on Abu Ala al-Wala’i,  secretary general of Kata’ib Sayyid al-Shuhada, an Iraqi armed group.

In a statement, the program called for assistance to “help stop the violence and attacks against U.S. diplomatic facilities and innocent civilians in Iraq.”

The statement described KSS as “an Iran-aligned terrorist group in Iraq”, saying its members “have killed Iraqi civilians and attacked U.S. diplomatic facilities in Iraq,” as well as carried out attacks on U.S. military bases and personnel in Iraq and Syria.

The program urged individuals with information on al-Wala’i to submit tips, adding that informants “could be eligible for relocation and a reward.”

Abu Ala al-Wala’i is also a member of the Coordination Framework, a Shiite ruling alliance that holds a majority in Iraq’s parliament.

Earlier this month, the Rewards for Justice program has announced a reward of up to $10 million for information on Kataib Hezbollah leader Ahmad al-Hamidawi, citing alleged involvement in attacks and kidnappings.

Kataib Hezbollah, one of the most powerful Iran-backed militias in Iraq and a key component of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, has been repeatedly linked to attacks on U.S. and coalition targets.

The U.S. has intensified its measures against the Popular Mobilization Forces and armed factions in Iraq. Earlier this month, the U.S. summoned Iraq’s ambassador in Washington and demanded that Baghdad “immediately take all measures to dismantle the Iran-aligned militia groups in Iraq,” following what it described as an ambush of U.S. diplomats in Baghdad on April 8.

Since the regional war began in late February, Iran-aligned factions under the Islamic Resistance in Iraq umbrella have carried out repeated drone, rocket and missile attacks on U.S. military and diplomatic targets in Baghdad and Kurdistan Region. The United States has simultaneously struck PMF-linked positions across multiple governorates, killing dozens of fighters.

The head of the Reconstruction and Development bloc said Thursday that the United States has conditioned its relationship with Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani on cutting salaries for the Popular Mobilization Forces and targeting some armed factions — conditions Sudani has refused.