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Controlled by Iran, the Deadly Militia Recruiting Iraq's Men to Die in Syria

(Guardian-UK) Martin Chulov - Each day for the past nine months, the bodies have been coming to the Valley of Peace cemetery in Najaf, Iraq. The men were killed in Syria, where they fought under the green flag of the Middle East's most potent new Shia Islamic political force, Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq (League of the Righteous). The militia has been busy readying for the afterlife, buying up more than 2,500 square meters of burial plots and erecting shrines for its fallen. Since the U.S. military left Iraq in December 2011, Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq has quietly emerged as one of the most powerful players in the country. Through a mix of strategic diplomacy, aggressive military operations and intimidation - signature methods of its main patron, the Iranian general Qassem Suleimani - the group is increasingly calling the shots. The group has a close connection to Lebanon's Hizbullah and ideological links to Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Between 8,000 and 15,000 Iraqi Shias have volunteered to fight for the Assad regime in Syria. In the Najaf cemetery, one gravedigger said, "There have been more of their bodies coming back from Syria than ever before. There are easily around 500 of them buried here. We have been getting around three each day for the past month alone." Iraqi intelligence officials believe Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq is receiving $1.5-$2m a month from Iran.
2014-03-18 00:00:00
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