Pro-Government Militias

Pro-Government Militia Website

Ansar-e Hezbollah (Iran)

Basic Group Information

Name assigned by coder: no
PGM ID Number: 243
Country: Iran
Date formed: March 21, 1991
    Accuracy of date formed: year
Details of Formation: Hoseyn Allahkaram, a former military officer, founded the group in 1991. It began as a grassroot movement in Tehran and belongs to the Iranian Hezbollah movement. It was intended to consolidate Khomeyni’s power after the revolution in 1979. (Wikipedia)
Date dissolved: Unknown
    Accuracy of date dissolved: day
Details of Termination: The PGM is not terminated.
Termination Type(s): not terminated

Former and Successor Group Information

Predecessor group(s): none
Successor group(s): none
Private Military Company? no
Former Group? yes
    Former Armed Group? unclear
Former Rebel Group? no
    Former Rebel Group UCDP ID: none
PGM Becomes Rebel Group? no
    Successor Rebel Group UCDP ID: none

Government Relation, Support, and Training

Government Relation: informal (type 1)
Created by the Government?: no
    Main Creating Government Institution: none
Government Link(s): person/minister
    If link to party, name of party:
Training and Equipment: yes
Shared Information and Joint Operations: yes
Shared Personnel: no
Type(s) of Material Support: domestic government
State Sponsor(s): none
Other Connection(s):

Group Characteristics

Membership: religious; ex soldiers
Primary Membership: religious
Alternative Primary Membership: no information
Location: Teheran, Mashhad
Force Strength: [unknown, 4000]
Target(s): civilians; unarmed political opposition, government critics; journalists; students
Purpose(s): protect state, national or religious institutions; protect state, national or religious leader(s); intimidate political opposition

Ethnic Characteristics

Ethnic Target(s): none
    Quality of Information for Ethnic Targeting: not applicable
Ethnic Membership: none
    Quality of Information for Ethnic Membership: not applicable
Ethnic Purpose: none
    Quality of Information for Ethnic Purpose: not applicable

Other Information

Other Information: Ansar-e Hezbollah is a group of fundamentalists, loyal to Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati and led by Haju Bakhshi. Its efforts are mainly directed at purging Iran of Western values. The name means "Supporters of the Party of God". Within Iran they were occasionally known as the "plain clothes." The first operations are reported in October 1995. The PGM has connections to the Council of Guardians and is loyal to conservative high level religious leaders within the government. Furthermore, it is fiercely loyal to Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, and is believed to enjoy his full support. Most members are also members of the Basij, the volunteer paramilitary arm of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards.

New Variables from Meta-Analysis

Purpose

Purpose: The militia is a far-right organization that suppresses all political opposition and internal threats to the principles of the Islamic Revolution. It was created by a former military officer to consolidate Ayatollah Khomeyni’s power after the revolution in 1979 and is loyal to the Supreme Leader. (Wikipedia)
Relative Benefit(s) of PGM Use faster mobilization

Treatment of Civilians

Treatment of Civilians: The militia uses violence against all potential political threats to the Supreme Leader and is in turn protected by him. (Wikipedia)
Type(s) of Violence against Civilians: killing; beating

Reasons for Membership

PGM Members Coerced? no information
PGM Members Paid? no information
Reasons for Membership: Most members are veterans of the Iran-Iraq War or members of the Basij militia. (Wikipedia)
PGM Members Killed? no information

PGM Size

Size: The militia has about 4,000 members.

Weapons and Training

Weapons and Training: Ansar-e-Hezbollah receives formal training by the Iranian government and is sponsored by several government clerics. (Wikipedia)

Organisation

Organisation: The militia belongs to the broader movement of the Iranian Hezbollah which was founded in post-revolutionist Iran by Ayatollah Khomeyni to consolidate his power. The group was not created by Khomeyni, but by a former military officer and pledges loyalty to the Supreme Leader. The militia is highly organized as they have a general secretary and other coordination leaders. (Wikipedia)

Reference(s) for Meta-Analysis

Wikipedia. “Ansar-e Hezbollah”.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ansar-e_Hezbollah

Evidence