Iraq Militia Chief Threatens US Interests Over Film

Former Mahdi Army Faction Says All US Targets in Iraq at Risk

Qais al-Khazali, the head of the Asaid Ahl al-Haq militia, has threatened attacks against US interests inside Iraq as revenge for the release of the movie Innocence of Muslims, saying that the movie “put all the American interests in Iraq in danger.”

Asaid Ahl al-Haq was initially part of the Mahdi Army but was expelled from them in 2004. They promised to disarm after the US withdrew from the country but have continued to attack Sunni targets nationwide.

Khazali was captured by US forces in 2007 but was eventually released in return for captured British contractors that the faction took months later.

The US accused the group of being backed by Iran, but this was never actually proven and the US accused almost everyone of being backed by Iran at some point or other during the occupation of Iraq.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.