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Badr Organization منظمة بدر
Leader	Hadi al-Amiri
Founded	1982–2003 (1982–2003) as the military wing of the ISCI 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 the Council 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	Baghdad and Southern Iraq
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 group by	United Arab Emirates

The Badr Organization (Arabic: منظمة بدر Munaẓẓama Badr), previously known as the Badr Brigades or Badr Corps, is an Iraqi Shia Islamist and Khomeinist political party and paramilitary organization headed by Hadi al-Amiri. The Badr Brigade, formed in 1982 and led by Iranian officers, served as the military arm of the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI), a Shia Islamic party based in Iran. The Badr Brigade was created by Iranian intelligence and Shia cleric Mohammad Baqir al-Hakim with the aim of fighting the Ba'athist regime of Saddam Hussein during the Iran–Iraq War. Since the 2003 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 separated with the Badr Organization now being an official Iraqi political party. Badr Brigade forces, and their Iranian commanders, have come to prominence in 2014 fighting the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in Iraq. It is a part of the Popular Mobilization Forces.

History

SCIRI

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

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

In 1995, during the Kurdish 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 the Coalition 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 prison and sectarian killings during the Iraqi Civil War.

Because of their opposition to Saddam Hussein, the Badr Brigade was seen as a U.S. asset in the fight against Baathist partisans. After the fall 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-run Wolf 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 the Independent newspaper:

"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 cleric Muqtada 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 as death squads during 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

Following ISIL's successful Anbar campaign and June 2014 offensive, the Badr Organization mobilized and won a series of battles against ISIL, including the Liberation of Jurf Al Sakhr and the Lifting of the Siege of Amirli. In early February 2015, the group, operating from its base at Camp Ashraf, fought in Diyala Governorate against ISIL. Over 100 militia were killed in the fighting, including 25 in Al Mansouryah. Badr's leader, Hadi al-Amiri, said his militiamen were committed to the safety of Sunnis, 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 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 of Supreme National Front of Feyli Kurds, Maher al-Feyli
  • Size: 1,000–5,000
  • Helped by: Saad al-Madlabi (from State of Law Coalition) and Mouin Al-Kazmi

Scientific evaluation

The German 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 of Hezbollah in Lebanon.

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

References

1. Dominic Evans (30 November 2014). "Iraq's divisions will delay counter-offensive on Islamic State". Reuters. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
2. ^ Steinberg, Guido (July 2017). "The Badr Organization" (PDF). German Institute for International and Security Affairs.
3. ^ Dagres, Holly (2018-08-16). "Badr Brigade: Among Most Consequential Outcomes of the Iran-Iraq War". Atlantic Council. Retrieved 2024-05-11.
4. "The Popular Mobilization Forces and Iraq's Future". carnegieendowment.org. Retrieved 2024-06-26.
5. "National Alliance deadlocked over candidates for Interior Ministry". Asharq Al-Awsat. 16 September 2014. Archived from the original on 17 September 2014. Retrieved 20 October 2014.
6. "اسماء الفائزين من منطمة بدر في البرلمان المقبل". Archived from the original on 2016-03-10. Retrieved 2018-12-07.
7. "90% من مرشحي منظمة بدر يفوزون بالانتخابات محققين 22 مقعدا". Archived from the original on 2014-05-23. Retrieved 2018-12-07.
8. "قيادي في بدر: نعمل على تشكيل تحالف جديد بعد انفصالنا عن دولة القانون". Archived from the original on 2019-06-12. Retrieved 2022-06-24.
9. Dralonge, Richard (2008). Economics and Geopolitics of the Middle East. Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated. p. 61. ISBN 9781604560763.
10. ^ "Breaking Badr". Foreign Policy. 6 November 2015.
11. "ميليشيا «بدر» الطائفية.. كيف تبني إيران دولة جديدة في العراق المعاصر؟". الشرق الأوسط.
12. "Hizballah Cavalcade: Kata'ib Sayyid al-Shuhada Emerges: Updates on the New Iraqi Shia Militia Supplying Fighters to Syria". 9 September 2013.
13. "بدر.. مليشيا عراقية حاربت صدام وقاتلت مع الأسد". Archived from the original on 2018-01-21. Retrieved 2018-08-09.
14. "Data" (PDF). www.washingtoninstitute.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-25. Retrieved 2016-12-10.
15. ^ "Hashd Brigade Numbers Index". www.rubincenter.org. Archived from the original on 2018-07-17. Retrieved 2018-07-17.
16. "How Iran Is Building Its Syrian Hezbollah". www.washingtoninstitute.org.
17. "MMP: Kata'ib Hezbollah". cisac.fsi.stanford.edu.
18. https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/iran-update-april-13-2024
19. "جيش "الطريقة النقشبندية".. لاعب جديد قديم في العراق". www.alhadath.net. Archived from the original on 13 August 2020. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
20. "الغد برس". www.alghadpress.com. Archived from the original on 10 August 2020. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
21. Alfoneh, Ali (4 May 2017). "Iraqi Shia Fighters in Syria".
22. "Kurdish and Iraqi forces, militias clash in northern Iraq". Long War Journal. 26 October 2017.
23. "Hezbollah and Iraqi reinforcements arrive in southern Aleppo to begin the march to Idlib". Al-Masdar News. 25 December 2015. Archived from the original on 17 June 2018. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
24. "The IRGC's involvement in the battle for Aleppo". FDD's Long War Journal. 13 February 2016.
25. "Breaking: Syrian Army, Hezbollah liberate Al-Amariyah in northern Palmyra". 26 March 2016. Archived from the original on 1 January 2020. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
26. "Battle for southern Aleppo is under way as the Syrian Army attack Khan Touman". 8 May 2016. Archived from the original on 3 June 2016. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
27. "مجلس الوزراء يعتمد قائمة التنظيمات الإرهابية. - WAM". 17 November 2014. Archived from the original on 2014-11-17.
28. "The Supreme Council Undergoes Broad Changes in the Ranks… Hakim: We Paid a High Price in Previous Elections," al-Rafidayn, Nov. 20, 2011
29. "Hadi Al-Ameri: A Militia Leader Torn between Washington and Tehran". Archived from the original on 2014-12-13. Retrieved 26 March 2019.
30. "Why the Uprisings Failed". Middle East Research and Information Project. 4 May 1992. Retrieved 22 May 2017.
31. Gunter, Michael M. (March 1998). "Turkey and Iran Face off in Kurdistan". The Middle East Quarterly.
32. "Torture by Iraqi militias: the report Washington did not want you to see". Reuters. 14 Dec 2015.
33. ^ Andrew Buncombe & Patrick Cockburn, "Iraq's death squads: on the brink of civil war," The Independent (Feb. 26, 2006). Retrieved 7 February 2015.
34. Kareem Fahim (February 7, 2015). "Shiite Militia Drives Back Islamic State, but Divides Much of Iraq". The New York Times. Retrieved February 8, 2015. Daesh was like hell
35. "Quwet al-Shahid Muhammed Baqir al-Sadr". jihadology.net.
36. Al Seyasia June 2017
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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 Project profile

v t e Political parties in Iraq
Major political parties	Sadrists (73) Progress Party (37) State of Law Coalition (33) Islamic Dawa Party Islamic Dawa Party – Iraq Organisation Kurdistan Democratic Party (31) Fatah Alliance (17) Badr Organization Al-Sadiqoun Bloc Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (17) Azem Alliance (14)
Minor political parties	Emtidad Movement (9) New Generation Movement (9) Ishraqat Kanoon (6) Tasmim Alliance (5) Victory Alliance (4) Kurdistan Justice Group (2) Iraqi Turkmen Front (1)
Reserved Christian seats (5)	Babylon Movement (4) Athra Alliance (1) Assyrian Democratic Movement Assyrian Patriotic Party Beth Nahrin Patriotic Union Chaldean Syriac Assyrian Popular Council
Reserved minority seats (3)	Hareth Shanshal Sunaid (1) Yazidi Movement for Reform and Progress (1) Council of Free Shabaks (1)
Unrepresented in parliament	The Iraqis
Banned	Hizb ut-Tahrir Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party in Iraq pan-Arab organization al-Awda Arab Liberation Front
Politics of Iraq

v t e Popular Mobilization Forces
In Iraq
People	Ali al-Sistani Nouri al-Maliki General commanders Falih Alfayyadh Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis † Secondary commanders Hadi al-Amiri (Badr) Muqtada al-Sadr (Peace Companies) Jalal al-Din Ali al-Saghir (Saraya Ansar al-Aqeeda) Former commanders Akram al-Kaabi (Harakat al-Nujaba) Qais Khazali (AAH)
Factions	Current Badr Organization Liwa al-Tafuf Liwa Ali al-Akbar Peace Companies Babylon Brigade Kata'ib al-Imam Ali Kataib Rouh Allah Issa Ibn Miriam Liwa al-Shabak Salah al-Din Brigade Jaysh al-Mu'ammal Harakat Ansar Allah al-Awfiya Saraya Ansar al-Aqeeda Saraya al-Jihad Saraya al-Khorasani Sinjar Resistance Units Quwat al-Shaheed al-Sadr Former Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq Kata'ib Hezbollah Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba Kata'ib Sayyid al-Shuhada
Other personals	Abu Azrael Abu Tahsin al-Salhi Mohanad Najim Aleqabi Ahmed Al Asadi Um Hanadi
Media	Current Team Media War (general) Alghadeer TV (Badr) Former Alahad TV (AAH) Alnujaba TV (Nujaba) Aletejah TV (KH)
Military activities	Iraqi Civil War Syrian Civil War
Related	Fatah Alliance Private militias in Iraq Iranian intervention in Iraq (2014–present) Holy Shrine Defender
Category

v t e Armed groups in the Iraqi conflict
Iraqi government	Iraqi Armed Forces Iraqi Army Iraqi Air Force Iraqi Navy Iraqi security forces Iraqi Police Iraqi Police Service National Police Supporting Forces Facilities Protection Service
Ba'athists	Army of the Men of the Naqshbandi Order Fedayeen Saddam General Military Council for Iraqi Revolutionaries Al-Awda General Command of the Armed Forces, Resistance and Liberation in Iraq Popular Army New Return Patriotic Front Political Media Organ of the Ba'ath Party Popular Resistance for the Liberation of Iraq Al-Abud Network Free Iraqi Army
Militias and others	Shia Islamic militias Popular Mobilization Forces Mahdi Army Abu Deraa's Mahdi Army faction Badr Organization Sheibani Network Soldiers of Heaven Free Iraqi Forces Special Groups (Iraq) Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq Promised Day Brigade Kata'ib Hezbollah Saraya Ansar al-Aqeeda Kata'ib al-Imam Ali Kata'ib Jund al-Imam Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba Saraya al-Jihad Abu al-Fadl al-Abbas Forces Harakat Ansar Allah al-Awfiya Quwwat Sahl Ninawa Mukhtar Army Hezbollah Liwa Abu al-Fadhal al-Abbas Jaysh al-Mu'ammal Liwa Ali al-Akbar Islamic Resistance in Iraq Kata'ib Sayyid al-Shuhada Sunni Islamic militias Tribal Mobilization Awakening groups 1920 Revolution Brigades Jaish al-Rashideen Islamic Army in Iraq Islamic Front for the Iraqi Resistance Hamas of Iraq Harakat Ahrar al-Iraq Kurdish militias Peshmerga Kurdistan Workers' Party Kurdistan Freedom Hawks Asayîşa Êzîdxanê Turkmen militias Iraqi Turkmen Front 16Brigade 52nd Brigade 92nd Brigade Brigade of Imam Hussein Sayyid al-Shuhada Bashir Regiment Assyrian militias Nineveh Plains Nineveh Plain Protection Units Nineveh Plain Forces Qaraqosh Protection Committee Dwekh Nawsha Syriac Military Council Kataib Rouh Allah Issa Ibn Miriam Babylon Brigade Yazidi militias Asayîşa Êzîdxanê Êzîdxan Protection Force Sinjar Alliance Sinjar Resistance Units Êzîdxan Women's Units
Insurgents	Nationalist Salafis Mujahideen Army Mujahideen Battalions of the Salafi Group of Iraq Islamic Salafist Boy Scout Battalions Mohammad's Army Salafi Jihadists Al-Mustafa Army in Iraq Ansar al-Islam in Kurdistan Black Banner Organization Abu Theeb's group Abu Bakr Al-Salafi Army Hassan Al-Basri Brigades Jamaat Ansar al-Sunna Jamaat Jaysh Ahl al-Sunnah wa-l-Jamaah Islamic State Mujahideen Shura Council Jaish al-Ta'ifa al-Mansurah Al-Qaeda in Iraq Jama'at al-Tawhid wal-Jihad Shield of Islam Brigade Wakefulness and Holy War White Flags

• Badr Organization
• Factions of the Popular Mobilization Forces
• Arab militant groups
• Conservative parties in Iraq
• Factions in the Iraq War
• Military wings of political parties
• Paramilitary forces of Iraq
• Rebel groups in Iraq
• Shia Islamic political parties
• Anti-ISIL factions in Iraq
• Anti-ISIL factions in Syria
• Anti-Israeli sentiment in Iraq
• Anti-Israeli sentiment in Syria
• Pro-government factions of the Syrian civil war
• Organizations designated as terrorist by the United Arab Emirates
• Shia Islamist groups
• Organizations based in Asia designated as terrorist
• Paramilitary organizations based in Iraq
• Jihadist groups in Iraq
• Axis of Resistance