Iraqi members legitimizing Quds Force presence in Iraq

(Ameri first left and Suleimani second right)

The Quds Force deploys its Iraqi members to establish a legitimate presence in this country. These individuals, most of whom had gone to Iran under the former Iraqi regime, are hired by the Ministry of Intelligence and placed on the Quds Force pay list.

 Their commanders have received training in the regime’s Revolutionary Guards Command and Staff University. These individuals took part in the Iran-Iraq War as an IRGC division dubbed the ‘9^th Badr Division’, fighting in the in southern and western fronts. This division was formed by a senior IRGC officer by the name of Daghayeghi, and all its members consisted of Iraqis who had fled to Iran and Iraqi POWs during the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s. A report on the formation of the 9thBadr Division and its process will be covered in future articles.

One of the most important Iraqi commanders at the time was Hadi Farhan al-Ameri, aka Abu Hassan al-Ameri. Tehran would dispatch this individual during the Iran-Iraq War to carry out terrorist attacks, and he played a role in many such attacks on Iraqi soil.

Following the formation of the 9^th Badr Organization and prior to the fall of the previous Iraqi regime al-Ameri was appointed as the commander of the Badr Organization’s military wing. This individual has an Iranian citizenship and his wife is Iranian.

To infiltrate its elements – with records of terrorist activities in the past – into the Iraqi government, the Iranian regime first entered them into the Parliament using large sums of money and fraud. One of these individuals was Hadi al-Ameri representing Diyala Province. As advised by the Quds Force he was then appointed as Minister of Transportation and also Secretary-General of the Badr Organization. Therefore, al-Ameri became one of the Iranian regime’s staunchest lobbies in Iraq.

In a recent interview al-Ameri expressed his gratitude towards Tehran for taking part in anti-ISIS operations in Iraq, saying the Iranian army has provided financial aid and advice, and Iraqi officials admit that the country would have been lost if it weren’t for this support.

Another example was Iraqi MP Qassem al-Araji who said in a TV interview in reference to the bravery of QassemSuleimani in the fight against terrorism in Iraq, “We should build and install a statue of this brave commander for his efforts in Iraq.” He went on to say that Suleimani is providing military advice to Iraqi forces in their fight against ISIS, all in a legal manner and in cooperation with Baghdad.

“He is a sincere and honest man who places his efforts in silence,” he added.

Therefore, the Iranian regime has legitimized the presence of the Quds Force – known across the globe as a terrorist entity – in Iraq. Tehran has gone one step further and also legitimized the presence of Qassem Suleimani in this country, while he is blacklisted by the US State Dept. as a terrorist.