The U.S. State Department’s Rewards for Justice program announced on Tuesday a reward of up to $10 million for information on Ahmad al-Hamidawi, the leader of the Iraqi militia Kataib Hezbollah, who has been designated on U.S. terrorism lists since 2020.
The program’s account on the platform “X” published a new image of al-Hamidawi—the first of its kind—alongside information about the leader of the group, which is listed by the United States as a Foreign Terrorist Organization.
The United States has accused al-Hamidawi of directing attacks carried out by Kataib Hezbollah in March against U.S. diplomatic facilities.
It said the group “has, for years, repeatedly targeted U.S. personnel and facilities in Iraq using improvised explosive devices, rockets, and drones, and has also kidnapped U.S. citizens and killed Iraqi civilians.”
Al-Hamidawi, born in 1974, has served as Secretary-General of Kataib Hezbollah since 2020 and is also a member of the group’s Shura Council.
According to the U.S. State Department, al-Hamidawi received political, military, and intelligence training from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. It added that, as the group’s leader, he has played a central role in planning attacks against U.S. forces and Iraqi security forces since 2007.
On February 26, 2020, the U.S. State Department designated al-Hamidawi as a “Specially Designated Global Terrorist,” resulting in the freezing of all his property and interests in the United States, or those that come within U.S. jurisdiction or the control of U.S. persons. U.S. citizens are generally prohibited from engaging in any transactions with him.
The United States had previously designated Kataib Hezbollah as a Foreign Terrorist Organization on June 24, 2009, and prohibited U.S. persons from providing any material support or resources to the group or engaging with it. All of its assets and property within the United States or under the control of U.S. persons were also frozen.
Al-Hamidawi is considered the de facto leader of Kataib Hezbollah, one of the most prominent Iran-aligned armed factions in Iraq. The group operates several brigades within the Popular Mobilization Forces while maintaining a semi-independent structure.
Members of Kataib Hezbollah receive extensive training, weapons, and support from the Quds Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, as well as from the Iran-backed Lebanese Hezbollah—both designated by the United States as Foreign Terrorist Organizations.
The group works closely with the Quds Force and adheres to directives from Iran’s senior leadership. It has carried out attacks aimed at expelling U.S. and coalition forces from Iraq, establishing a government aligned with Iran, and expanding Iranian influence in the Middle East, according to the U.S. State Department.
On December 27, 2019, Kataib Hezbollah launched a rocket attack on an Iraqi military base near Kirkuk, killing a U.S. civilian contractor and wounding four U.S. soldiers and two members of the Iraqi security forces.
Between December 27, 2019, and January 1, 2020, the group led protests outside the U.S. Embassy compound in Baghdad, during which protesters attempted to storm the facility.
The group has claimed responsibility for numerous attacks against U.S. and coalition forces in Iraq, including improvised explosive device attacks, rocket strikes, and sniper operations.
Reports also indicated that in October 2019, the group was involved in sniper attacks targeting peaceful protesters in Baghdad, resulting in the deaths of more than 100 people and injuries to around 6,000 others.
Al-Hamidawi’ s full name is Ahmad Mohsen Faraj, and he has several aliases, most notably Abu Hussein al-Hamidawi.
The article is a translation of the original Arabic.
