US offers $10m reward for information on Harakat al-Nujaba leader Akram al-Kabi

BAGHDAD — The U.S. State Department’s Rewards for Justice program has announced a reward of up to $10 million for information on Akram al-Kabi, the founder and leader of Harakat al-Nujaba, an armed group in Iraq.

In a statement, the program said al-Kabi “has a long history of targeting U.S. troops and diplomatic facilities in Iraq” and urged people to “help us end his terrorist attacks.”

The statement described Harakat al-Nujaba as “an Iran-aligned terrorist militia group in Iraq.”

According to the statement, al-Nujaba members have carried out attacks on “U.S. diplomatic facilities in Iraq as well as U.S. military bases in Iraq and Syria,” resulting in the death of “a U.S. contractor” and injuries to “U.S. servicemembers.”

The Rewards for Justice program said individuals with information on al-Kabi could be eligible for relocation and a reward.

Earlier last month, the Rewards for Justice program 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.

Later in April, the 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.

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.