Qais Khazali | |
|---|---|
قيس الخزعلي | |
.jpg) Qais al-Khazali | |
| Secretary-General ofAsa'ib Ahl al-Haq | |
| Assumed office July 2006 | |
| Head of Parliamentary Bloc | |
| Assumed office 2014 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1974-06-20)20 June 1974 (age 51) |
| Political party | Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq |
| Other political affiliations | Fatah Alliance Sadrist Movement (until 2006) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Iraq |
| Branch/service | Popular Mobilization Forces (until 2020) Islamic Resistance in Iraq (since 2020) |
| Years of service | 2003–present |
| Rank | Commander |
| Unit | Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq Mahdi Army (2003–2006) |
| Battles/wars | Iraq War (POW) Syrian civil war War in Iraq (2013–2017) |
Qais Hadi Sayed Hasan al-Khazali (Arabic:قيس هادي سيد حسن الخزعلي; born 20 June 1974) is an Iraqi politician and militant leader who is the founder and secretary-general of theAsa'ib Ahl al-Haq, anIraqi Shia paramilitary organization and political party. He is best known as the founder and leader of the Iran-backedSpecial Groups in Iraq from June 2006 until his capture by British forces in March 2007.[1] As head of the Special Groups, Khazali directed arms shipment, formation of squads to participate in fighting, and insurgent operations, most notably the20 January 2007 attack on American forces inKarbala.[2] A former follower ofMuqtada al-Sadr, he was expelled from theMahdi Army in 2004 for giving "unauthorized orders" and founded his own group: Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq (AAH) also known as the "Khazali Network" that was later designated as aterrorist group by theU.S. Department of State. During his incarceration,Akram al-Kaabi became acting commander of the organization until his release in January 2010.[3]
On the night of 20 March 2007 the G squadron of theBritish SAS andUS troops[4] raided a house inBasra containing Khazali and arrested him along with his brother Laith and his advisorAli Musa Daqduq without casualties and gained valuable intelligence.[5]
Khazali was released in January 2010, in exchange forPeter Moore, who had been kidnapped by Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq.[6] In December that year, notorious special groups commandersAbu Deraa andMustafa al-Sheibani were allowed to return to Iraq and declared they would be working with Khazali after their return.[7] Since his release, al-Khazali has pivoted from attackingU.S.-led Coalition forces in Iraq to recruiting for pro-Assad Shi'ite militias in Syria.[8]
On 6 December 2019, theU.S. Treasury Department sanctioned Khazali and placed him on theSDN List for "involvement in serious human rights abuse in Iraq,"[9][10] and addressed his role in the violent repression ofIraqi protests beginning in October 2019. During the protests, AAH militia forces controlled by Khazali, opened fire on and killed peaceful protesters.[11]
On 31 December 2019, U.S. Secretary of StateMike Pompeo named Khazali, along withAbu Mahdi al-Muhandis,Hadi al-Amiri, andFalih Al-Fayyadh, as responsible for theattack on the United States embassy in Baghdad.[12]
On 3 January 2020, U.S. Department of State designated Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq as aforeign terrorist organization (FTO), with Qais al-Khazali and his brother Laith al-Khazali asSpecially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGT) underExecutive Order 13224.[13][14]
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