Counter Extremism Project: Iraqi Shiite Militias Fight for Assad in Aleppo, Accused by U.N. of Human Rights Abuses

Qais al-Khazali

Founder, leader

(New York, NY) – The Counter Extremism Project (CEP) today released updated resources on powerful Iraqi Shiite militias Kata’ib Hezbollah (KH) and Asaib Ahl al-Haq (AAH), trained and supported by Iran, that are fighting with Hezbollah for the Assad regime in Syria.

On December 13, 2016, the United Nations implicated AAH’s Syrian wing, known as Harakat al-Nujaba, in the slaughter of dozens of civilians in Aleppo. Although supposedly operating independently of AAH in Iraq, Harakat al-Nujaba is comprised primarily of AAH fighters and those from fellow Iranian-backed militia KH.

Iraq’s Shiite militias are referred to as Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF). In a July report, Human Rights Watch documented killings, disappearances, torture, and the destruction of homes by PMF groups during the fight to retake Fallujah and other Sunni-dominated areas in Iraq from ISIS. 

Nevertheless, the Shiite militias were formally recognized by the Iraqi Parliament in November 2016.

Residents of ISIS-held Iraqi city suffer under siege

Abu Jassim can only afford to provide one meal a day for his seven-member family - usually a stew made of locally grown leafy green vegetables or rice with a small portion of flat bread.


“We are experiencing the agony of starvation for the first time in our life,” said Abu Jassim, a 52-year-old grocer and resident of the besieged ISIS-held city of Fallujah.

In reality, nobody seems to be starving in Fallujah just yet. But medical officials say malnutrition is on the rise and vital medical supplies are running out.

DR Congo: Students, Schools at Risk in Conflict Zones

The government of the Democratic Republic of Congo should increase protection for students and schools in areas of the country affected by armed conflict, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today.
https://www.hrw.org/node/282419
The government should endorse and carry out the international Safe Schools Declaration.

The 58-page report, “‘Our School Became the Battlefield’: Using Schools for Child Recruitment and Military Purposes in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo,” documents how armed groups have attacked schools and recruited children at school or while on their way to school. Armed groups and the Congolese army have also taken over schools for military purposes. Many children and parents told Human Rights Watch that fear of being abducted or raped kept students from attending school.

Sri-Lankan Model Against Boko Haram: Between Human Rights Watch And Nigeria Military

Human Rights Watch says Nigeria’s military should not use the example of Sri Lanka’s defeat of Tamil separatists in its war against Boko Haram.

To crush Boko Haram insurgents, Nigeria's Defence Headquarters last week declared it would employ the "Sri Lankan method." It's hard to imagine a worse idea.

Boko Haram's brutal campaign in northern Nigeria demands urgent action to protect the civilian population. The militant Islamist group's atrocities have killed thousands and forced hundreds of thousands to flee their homes, sparking a humanitarian crisis in Nigeria's northeast and across national borders. Boko Haram's April kidnapping of nearly 300 schoolgirls has dramatically increased international attention on the problem and pressure on the government to resolve it.