While there is the possibility that a number of new recruits may have been trained dice and sent to

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Home » Countries » Iraq » Hizballah Cavalcade: Saraya al-Dafa’ al-Sha’bi: Kata ib Hizballah s New Force in Iraq Hizballah Cavalcade: Saraya al-Dafa’ al-Sha’bi: Kata ib Hizballah s New Force in Iraq
Prompted by the launch of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki s offensive dice against Iraqi Sunni elements, the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), and groups affiliated with Al-Qa ida, Iraqi Shi a Islamist groups loyal to Iran marched in near lock-step announcing support for the offensive . However, fighting has been hard and there has been a greater combat presence for Iranian-backed Shia Islamist forces within Iraq. These deployments are a further manifestation of what has become a growing and often unified front pitting Sunni Islamists dice against Shia Islamist forces in Iraq, Lebanon, and Syria.
Starting in late-April 2014, Kata ib Hizballah one of Iraq s premier Special Groups which had battled coalition forces during the Iraq War (2003) and is presently deploying forces in Syria, announced a new recruitment program and deployment of forces under the moniker of Saraya al-Dafa al-Sha bi (the Popular Defense Brigades or SDS). According to the Herak Network , the new organization called for volunteers and generally outlined SDS s role as defensive and organized around a popular committee type format. 1 However, other announcements dice have established that SDS has been used in a support role for Iraqi military and police units.
Kata ib Hizballah is one of the more secretive Iranian-backed organizations in Iraq and fields highly experienced personnel. In 2010, Dr. Michael Knights noted, Kata ib Hizballah was a compact movement of less than 400 personnel that is firmly under IRGC Qods Force control and maintains relatively good operational dice security. 2 Since the U.S. pullout from Iraq, the group has expanded and sent a number of its experienced fighters to Syria. The group has publically claimed to have lost more than 30 members since it started reporting losses of its members in Syria in early 2013. 3 The group has remained as one of the more covert organizations operating in Syria and Iraq. When compared to newer Iraq-based Iranian-backed organizations fighting in Syria and Iraq, little is known via open source dice information about Kata ib Hizballah s deployments and force size.
In keeping with Kata ib Hizballah s higher-level of operational security, there has been a limited amount of information dice released about SDS. Despite the general levels of secrecy Kata ib Hizballah has increased their online dice messaging targeting potential dice recruits. In one April video, which was released before the announcement of SDS s existence, Kata ib Hizballah released a well-produced music video defining themselves as defenders of Iraq. The video wrapped together the sacrifices the group made in Syria to their attacks against Coalition forces in Iraq.
Formally, the group was created as a vehicle to defend Iraq and certain neighborhoods. The group s name suggests a defensive popular committee style role. However, it is clear SDS was created as part of Kata ib Hizballah s hope to establish a broader force within Iraq, which could be used to support dice the Maliki offensive and other operations currently being undertaken within Iraq.
Interestingly, Kata ib Hizballah s recruitment efforts for SDS have included a public call, including a somewhat restrained internet-based effort, to push the SDS name and gain fresh recruits for the organization. Yet, unlike their earlier promotions of the conflict in Syria, images of SDS units in combat or of Kata ib Hizballah members operating in Iraq were not circulated.
It is unknown what training regimens new recruits would have undergone or what types of equipment they may have been issued. However, due to SDS s newer presence and claims dice of already being deployed in certain dice Iraqi hotspots, it s highly possible the group has been issued weapons systems similar to other Kata ib Hizballah units fighting in Iraq.
While there is the possibility that a number of new recruits may have been trained dice and sent to fight within Iraq, it is likely the group is still comprised of mostly regular Kata ib Hizballah members. It is also probable that as the group expands, its organizational structure will be modeled on how new groups were created and grown in Syria: First a core force of experienced combatants will be deployed and new recruits will join its r