| Badr Organization منظمة بدر |
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|---|---|
| Leader | Hadi al-Amiri |
| Founder | Ayatollah Sayyed Mohammed Baqir al-Hakim |
| Founded | 1982 as a militia of ISCI |
| Ideology | Shi'a Islamism , Religious Conservatism |
| Political position | Right-wing |
| Religion | Shi'a Islam |
| Seats in the Council of Representatives of Iraq: |
8 / 325
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| Website | |
| http://www.almejlis.org/ (Arabic) | |
| Politics of Iraq Political parties Elections |
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The Badr Organization (Arabic: منظمة بدر) previously known as the Badr Brigades or Badr Corps (not to be confused with the Badr Brigade in the Jordanian Army) is an Iraqi political party headed by Hadi al-Amiri. Previously it was the armed wing of the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq (ISCI) but since the 2003 invasion of Iraq most of its fighters have entered the new Iraqi army and police force and it officially became a completely political organization. However, Badr militiamen are still occasionally being reported by national media as active. [1]
Politically, Badr Brigade and ISCI were considered to be one party since 2003, but have now unofficially separated. [2]
The organization was based in Iran for two decades during the rule of Saddam Hussein. It consisted of several thousand Iraqi exiles, refugees, and defectors who fought alongside Iran in the Iran–Iraq War. Returning to Iraq following the 2003 coalition invasion the group changed its name from brigade to organization in response to the attempted voluntary disarming of Iraqi militias by the Coalition Provisional Authority. It is however widely believed the organization is still active as a militia within the security forces and it has been accused of sectarian killings during the Iraqi Civil War.
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Originally the Badr Brigade, it grew to a division and then a corps. The Badr Brigade was formed by Mohammed Baqir al-Hakim to fight Saddam Hussein's Baathist regime in Iraq. Its members were drawn from Iraqi Shia political and religious dissidents. The Badr forces fought alongside Iran in the Iran–Iraq War (1980–1988). Before 2003, it was based in Iran for two decades during the rule of Saddam Hussein.
The Badr Corps consists of infantry, armor, artillery, anti-aircraft and commando units with an estimated strength of between 10,000 and 50,000 men (according to the Badr Organization) but this is difficult to confirm. It is also hard to estimate how much capability they have beyond light arms today as CPA forces are unlikely to have allowed them to retain armor and other easily identified heavy assets in Iraq's current (2007) uncertain situation.
| Badr Organization | |
|---|---|
| Participant in the Iraq War | |
| Active | 1982 – 2003 |
| Leaders | Hadi al-Amiri |
| Headquarters | Najaf, Iraq |
| Area of operations |
Baghdad and Southern Iraq |
| Strength | 10,000-15,000 |
| Opponents | Ba'ath Party |
| Battles/wars | Iran–Iraq War , 1991 uprisings in Iraq , Iraq War |
Because of their opposition to Saddam Hussein, the Badr Brigade was seen as a U.S. asset in the fight against Baathist partisans. After the fall of Baghdad, Badr forces reportedly joined the newly-reconstituted army, police and Interior Ministry in significant numbers.
The Badr Organization has eased pressure on US Occupation forces, by having its members be Iraqi security forces and assist in fighting insurgents, human rights groups have expressed concern that the organization engages is also unfairly targeting Iraqis because they are not Shiite fundamentalists.
Iraqi Sunnis have also been, reportedly, targeted by members of the Badr Corps as well as Iraqi Shiites who do not share the Badrs' Islamic fundamentalist beliefs. Since 2005, there have been reports that the organization has specifically targeted LGBT Iraqis for execution, as part of a larger campaign against decadence and immorality.
There have also been reports of sporadic arguments and fire fighting between members of the Badr organization and British forces along with an accusation that the organization is working for Iran, a charge that the organization strenuously denies.
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Shia militia
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Sunni militias
Kurdish militias
Minority militias
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