Militia

US withdrawal from Iraq will be watched closely by Iran-backed militias, Kurds - analysis

Iranian-backed militias and Iran have already targeted the Kurdistan region with more than 1,000 drone and missile attacks since February 2026, and it will be vulnerable if the US withdraws.

Damaged buildings after, what the security sources say, a drone struck an arms depot in an attack on the headquarters of an Iranian Kurdish opposition group in which two fighters were wounded, amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, in the town of Dekala in Iraq's Kurdistan region March 4, 2026.
Iraqi anti-government protesters take cover from security forces firing tear gas to keep demonstrators from storming the Green Zone, which hosts government offices and foreign offices, on October 28, 2019 in Baghdad.

Iranian-backed militia Badr admits it killed, wounded thousands of protesters in Iraq in 2019

Palestinian Hamas terrorists stand guard on the day of the handover of hostages held in Gaza since the deadly October 7 2023 attack, as part of a ceasefire and a hostages-prisoners swap deal between Hamas and Israel, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, February 22, 2025.

An enemy from within: How Gazan militias became Hamas’s new nightmare - analysis

Youths ride vehicles while waving flags of Iraq, Iran, Lebanon and Hezbollah in Baghdad on June 15, 2026, during celebrations following the announcement of a deal to end the war between Iran and the US.

Iraq sentences militia member for kidnapping American journalist, in rare move against Iran proxies


Iranian Parliament Speaker Ghalibaf's Iraq visit seeks to reshape ties amid regional unrest

Upon Ghalibaf’s arrival, he insisted that the two countries needed to strengthen a “new regional order” and denounced “foreign interference.”

Iran's Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Iraq's Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi attend a meeting at the parliament building in Baghdad on August 19, 2026.

Iran plans to weaken Kurdish forces in Iraq to prevent disarmament of militias - analysis

Iran will use the militias to do whatever is necessary to preserve its role in Iraq, while also aiming to weaken its Kurdish rivals in the country.

Iranian Shi'ite pilgrims walk along a road to enter Iraq through the Shalamcheh border crossing between Iran and Iraq to make their way to the holy city of Karbala to attend the Arbaeen pilgrimage, following US strikes on the Iranian side of the border crossing, in Basra, Iraq, July 23, 2026.

Iraq’s PM seeks to disarm Iran-backed militias, but Tehran wants to meddle - analysis

Iran-backed militias in Iraq have roots stretching back to the 1980's and are the product of decades of Iranian policy aimed at cultivating armed proxies beyond its borders.

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi meets with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in Tehran, Iran July 23, 2026.

‘We believe Hamas will not disarm,’ Israeli-backed militia figure in Gaza tells ‘Post’

Dismantling armed militias could discourage locals from working with Israel, says a Gaza resident. "People will think twice for fear of being abandoned."

Palestinian Hamas terrorists stand guard on the day of the handover of hostages held in Gaza since the deadly October 7 2023 attack, as part of a ceasefire and a hostages-prisoners swap deal between Hamas and Israel, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, February 22, 2025.

Christians arbitrarily detained in Syria denied Bible access, forced to observe Ramadan, CSI report

Members of the Christian community have been arbitrarily detained, with their families extorted for payments in exchange for their release, the Christian Solidarity International report claimed.

Clergymen lead Christmas celebrations at the St. George's Syriac Orthodox Church in the old city of Damascus.

Iraqi PM Zaidi condemns US-Saudi strikes on Iran-backed militias

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi's office denounced the strikes, stating that it is the Iraqi government’s responsibility to deal with security concerns originating within its borders.

Iraqi Prime Minister-designate Ali al-Zaidi speaks during a parliamentary session to vote in a new government headed by Ali al-Zaidi as prime minister, at the parliament headquarters in Baghdad, Iraq, May 14, 2026.

US-Saudi joint strikes on Iran-backed militias are a milestone in cooperation - analysis

US CENTCOM said that American forces and “the Saudi Arabian Armed Forces conducted precision strikes in Iraq, July 28, against Iran-aligned terrorists that the IRGC directed to attack US forces."

A US military aircraft flies at an unknown location, during what U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) says are strikes on Iran, in this screengrab taken from a handout video released on July 20, 2026.

Why Iran and its militias have made Jordan a frontline in broader Mideast conflict - analysis

Iran’s growing missile and drone attacks on Jordan are turning the kingdom into a new frontline, testing whether Amman will continue to remain quiet or join a regional response.

An Iranian drone is displayed at the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Force Museum in Tehran, Iran.

Iran escalates drone attacks targeting Kurdish opposition groups in northern Iraq

The attacks have become increasingly deadly, with around nine people killed in July. Drone attacks were also launched by Iranian-backed militias from areas near Mosul, according to local officials.

 Iranian drones are displayed during a ceremony of the joining new drones to the Iranian Army's combat organisation in an undisclosed location in Iran, in this handout image obtained on January 13, 2025.

Saudi Arabia slams Iraq over drone attacks launched by Iran-backed militias

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that it expressed the “strongest condemnation of the reprehensible drone attacks carried out by Iran-backed militias operating in Iraq."

 Protesters who support Yemen's Houthi group brandish weapons and shout slogans as they celebrate the ban decision imposed against the maritime shipping of Saudi Arabia on July 20, 2026 in Sana'a, Yemen.