Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq (AAH), The League of the Righteous, is an
Iranian-backed militant group in Iraq that has tried to change its image in
recent years. After the U.S. withdrawal in 2011, the League claimed that it was
going to join the political process, but would not participate in the April
2013 provincial elections, which just took place. However, a former high-level
member of the group created his own party National al-Amal Party, the National
Hope Party, which ran candidates as part of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s
State of Law in this year’s balloting. This could have been a way for AAH to
test the political waters before fully committing to the fray.
Iraq’s recent provincial elections, which took place on
April 20, included the National al-Amal Party, which was founded by a former
member of the League. The Amal Party was started by Jassim al-Saadi in November2011, and ran candidates in Baghdad and Muthanna governorates as part of Prime
Minister Maliki’s State of Law list. Saadi has denied that his party is
associated with the League, although he was previously a high-ranking member of
the organization. When it was begun, Moqtada al-Sadr warned his followers not
to join saying that it was a splinter group from AAH or at least claimed to be
implying that the two were still connected. Several ex-members of the Sadr
Trend lead the League, which broke away in 2004. Ever since then the two
have considered each other rivals for the legacy of Moqtada’s father Mohammed
Sadiq al-Sadr who was a widely popular figure in Iraq during the Saddam era,
and have competed for the same constituency in the country. Officially, the League said that it would not participate in the 2013 vote, probably
because it was not ready yet. The Amal Party however, might have been a way for
the League to try its hand at politics unofficially to test its message,
campaign techniques, and appeal.
Followers of the League showing off pictures of their leader
Qais Khazali in Baghdad (Al Arabiya)
Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq started off as an Iranian-supported
militant group aimed at expelling the Americans from Iraq, and creating an Islamic
state following the model of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. In 2004, when Sadr
agreed to a cease-fire with the U.S. after the Battle of Najaf several of his
top lieutenants broke away under the leadership of Qais Khazali. Khazali was a student of Ayatollah Sadiq al-Sadr, and helped keep the movement alive after
his execution by Saddam in the 1990s. The group received support from the
Iranian Revolution Guards’ Quds Force, and carried out several spectacular
attacks upon the Coalition including downing a British helicopter in Basra in
May 2006, an attack upon the Karbala Provincial Headquarters that resulted in
the death of five American soldiers in January 2007, and the kidnapping of five
British citizens from the Finance Ministry in Baghdad in May. Those actions led
to the capture of most of the top leaders including Khazali. He was eventually
released, and when the Americans withdrew in December 2011, Khazali announced
that his movement would be turning towards politics. It then launched a media
campaign claiming that it had forced the Americans to leave Iraq, held a
demonstration in Baghdad’s Tahrir Square to celebrate the U.S. withdrawal,
started giving interviews to the press, and began setting up offices, religious
schools and social services in central and southern Iraq in an attempt to
transform itself from an insurgent group to a socio-political one. At the same
time, AAH has never disarmed, is currently sending fighters to take part in the civil war in Syria, and has gotten into several confrontations with the
Sadrists. Prime Minister Maliki has welcomed the change in the organization,
and has been courting it for the last several years. The premier has tried
to portray this as part of a reconciliation process between the government and
armed groups, but the real reason is political. Both have a common goal, which
is to weaken the appeal of Moqtada al-Sadr, and eventually win over his
followers. Sadr is well aware of this, and has gone back and forth from
offering an olive branch to the League at various times, to condemning their
actions, and attacking their leaders. AAH’s recent violent history, close ties
to Iran, and wish to create an Islamic state based upon Khomeini’s vision all
limit its appeal to a mass audience in Iraq. However, it can appeal to members
of the Sadr movement, since it shares much of the same early history, which is
exactly why both Maliki and Sadr have given it such attention.
Since the League of the Righteous has only been operating
openly in Iraq for a short period of time it probably lacks the organization
and appeal to play a major role in this year’s provincial elections. Still, the
appearance of the National Amal Party as part of Prime Minister Maliki’s State
of Law could be a sign that it was willing to send up a test balloon to see how
it appeals to voters. Ultimately, AAH would like to form a large popular base,
and join the government with all the benefits in money and patronage that
includes. It is being assisted by the premier who wants to use it as a way to
siphon off votes from the Sadr movement. Since the results of the voting have
not been announced yet whether the two have succeeded is unknown. The League’s
real impact upon Iraqi politics will likely be felt in the 2014 parliamentary
elections, which the group will probably formally run in. Until then, Maliki
can be expected to continue to cater to the group in an effort to build up its
support, while the war of words between Asa’ib and the Sadr Trend continues.
SOURCES
AIN, “Sadr: Governmental silence behind growing power of
AAH,” 6/24/12
Ali, Ahmed, “Iraq’s Provincial
Elections and their National Implications,” Institute for the Study of War,
4/19/13
Al-Amiry, Kholoud Ramzi, “The Prime Minister Who Plays with
Fire,” Sada, 4/19/12
Cochrane, Marisa, “The Fragmentation
of the Sadrist Movement,” Institute for the Study of War, January 2009
Al-Mada, “An armed group attacked a hospital in Sadr City
and infringe on the emergency department physicians,” 1/29/13
Reuters, “Iraq militia issues threat against Turkish
interests,” 12/27/12
Al-Salhy, Suadad, “Iraqi Shi’ite
militants start to acknowledge role in Syria,” Reuters, 4/10/13
Shafaq News, “Source: Asaib alhel al – Haq intensify their
presence in Damascus to protect Zeinab shrine,” 7/26/12
Sly, Liz, “Iranian-backed militant group in Iraq is
recasting itself as a political player,” Washington Post, 2/18/13
Wyer, Sam, “The Resurgence of Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq,” Institute
for the Study of War, December 2012
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