Pro-Government Militias
Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq (The League of the Righteous) (Syria)
Basic Group Information
| Name assigned by coder: | no |
| PGM ID Number: | 537 |
| Country: | Syria |
| Date formed: | Jan. 1, 2013 |
| Accuracy of date formed: | year |
| Details of Formation: | Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq is a group mainly active in Iraq (cf. AAH PGM in Iraq). In 2013, AAH began acknowledging that it is also militarily active in Syria, where it is allied to the Syrian regime. |
| Date dissolved: | Unknown |
| Accuracy of date dissolved: | day |
| Details of Termination: | |
| Termination Type(s): | none |
Former and Successor Group Information
| Predecessor group(s): | none |
| Successor group(s): | none |
| Private Military Company? | no |
| Former Group? | yes |
| Former Armed Group? | yes |
| 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; state (institution) |
| If link to party, name of party: | None |
| Training and Equipment: | unclear |
| Shared Information and Joint Operations: | unclear |
| Shared Personnel: | no |
| Type(s) of Material Support: | Foreign government; foreign support |
| State Sponsor(s): | Iran; Iraq |
| Other Connection(s): |
Group Characteristics
| Membership: | ethnic; religious; former rebels; children; foreign nationals |
| Primary Membership: | religious |
| Alternative Primary Membership: | no information |
| Location: | Sayyida Zaynab district, Damascus |
| Force Strength: | [2000, 3000] |
| Target(s): | rebels, insurgents, or other armed group |
| Purpose(s): | protect state, national or religious institutions; fight insurgents |
Ethnic Characteristics
| Ethnic Target(s): | none |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Targeting: | not applicable |
| Ethnic Membership: | Shi'a Arabs (Iraq) |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Membership: | given |
| Ethnic Purpose: | none |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Purpose: | not applicable |
Other Information
| Other Information: | Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq created the subgroup 'Liwaa Kafeel Zaynab' as expeditionary force operating in Syria only. The AAH is also coded a PGM in Iraq where it was allied to President al-Maliki, who de-facto allowed AAH fighters to go to Syria to fight there. |
New Variables from Meta-Analysis
Purpose
| Purpose: | The main purpose of the AAH in Syria is to fight rebels and support President Bashar al-Assad’s rule. |
| Relative Benefit(s) of PGM Use | unknown |
Treatment of Civilians
| Treatment of Civilians: | The AAH committed violence against civilians in Iraq. We found no information on treatment of civilians in Syria. |
| Type(s) of Violence against Civilians: | unknown |
Reasons for Membership
| PGM Members Coerced? | yes |
| PGM Members Paid? | yes |
| Reasons for Membership: | Some members of this Shiite militia are motivated by a sense of religious duty. Another reason for membership was the good payment members received, in a context of poverty where fighting seemed to be the only solution on how to earn money. A news source from December 2014 mentions an AAH child soldier. |
| PGM Members Killed? | sometimes |
PGM Size
| Size: | A news source mentions that the AAH has around 2,000 to 3,000 fighters in Iraq; it is not clear how large its number of fighters is in Syria. |
Weapons and Training
| Weapons and Training: | The AAH is armed with sniper rifles. The Syrian government sends militias loyal to Assad to training bases in Iran. It is not clear whether this includes the AAH. |
Organisation
| Organisation: | Syria’s ally Iran provides the funding for the AAH. The AAH is allied to the Syrian and Iraqi regimes. The militia is led by Qays al-Khaz’ali. |
Reference(s) for Meta-Analysis
Evidence
- Examine the evidence for this coding.