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Liwa al-Tafuf

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Iraqi Shia Militia
Liwa al-Tafuf
لواء الطفوف
Founding leaderQasim Muslih
Dates of operation2014-Present
Split fromLiwa Ali al-Akbar
Country Iraq
Allegiance Popular Mobilization Forces
Ideology
Statusactive
Allies
Opponents

Liwa al-Tafuf (Arabic: لواء الطفوف, lit.'Al-Tafuf Brigade') also known as the 13th PMF Brigade is a brigade of the Popular Mobilization Forces in Iraq which split from Liwa Ali al-Akbar in 2014 and was associated with the Imam Husayn Shrine and has participated in the War in Iraq, mostly against the Islamic State, which includes the recapturing of al-Ba'aj and the Battle of Al-Qa'im in 2017.

History

The group was established in 2014 after splitting from the 11th PMF Brigade, Liwa Ali al-Akbar under the guise of Qasim Muslih as the leader of the brigade and tried to remain "legitimate" as a "true" atabat (shrine) but the group fell into the administrative influence of Kata'ib Hezbollah's founder, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis. The group became well-known for taking old armored vehicles from old tanks graveyards and returning them, with ingenious new modifications, to service.

The group has allied with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps and answers to the group with Kata'ib Hezbollah. Though the group is considered pro-Iranian, it doesn't view itself as full allies with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps and has built a better relationship with the local Sunni Muslim populations in Iraq than most of the other PMF Brigades and pro-Iranian militias.

The group has helped smuggled Iranian goods and commerce with Kata'ib Hezbollah, where both basically control it, in the al-Qaimal-Bukamal border crossing to Syria which was supposedly used to help others battle the Islamic State in Syria during the Syrian civil war. Though some of the goods are supplies to groups, Liwa al-Tafuf and other groups help enable the cross-border drug trade with Iraq and Syria.

References

  1. Al-Tamimi, Aymenn Jawad (2019-02-15). "Liwa al-Tafuf of the Hashd: Interview". Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi. Archived from the original on 2024-07-30. Retrieved 2024-07-30.
  2. Knights, Michael (2024-02-03). "Profile: Liwa al-Tafuf (13th PMF Brigade)". The Washington Institute. Archived from the original on 2024-05-14. Retrieved 2024-07-30.
  3. Carter, Brian; Soltani, Amin; Moore, Johanna; Tyson, Kathryn (2024-02-03). "Iran Update, February 3, 2024" (PDF). Institute for the Study of War. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2024-07-30. Retrieved 2024-07-30.
  4. Hasan, Harith; Khaddour, Kheder (2020). The Islamic State on the Rocks, Iranian-Backed Militias on the Rise (Report). Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. pp. 12–15. Archived from the original on 2024-07-30. Retrieved 2024-07-30.
  5. Kerr, Malcolm H. "The Transformation of the Iraqi-Syrian Border: From a National to a Regional Frontier". XCEPT. Retrieved 2024-07-30.
  6. Malmvig, Helle; Dreyer, Jakob (2020). Immanent Conflict, Without Imminent War: LOCAL ACTORS AND FOREIGN POWERS ARE SCRABBLING FOR INFLUENCE IN IRAQ AND SYRIA (Report). Danish Institute for International Studies. Archived from the original on 2024-07-30. Retrieved 2024-07-30.
  7. Haid, Haid (2022-05-25). "To stem Iraq's drug trade, rein in the militias that enable it". Al-Arab. Retrieved 2024-07-30.
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