Though it is technically an Iraqi militia, Kataib Hizbullah is fully controlled by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), as evidenced by its actions in Syria, where it is being manipulated like a chess piece, say analysts.
As is true for the rest of Iran’s proxies in the Middle East, only the IRGC has authority over Kataib Hizbullah, said Sheyar Turko, a specialist in the affairs of IRGC-affiliated militias.
These militias are just pawns that are moved directly by Tehran, regardless of where they get their funding or where they operate, he said.
In the case of Kataib Hizbullah, the militia is supposed to be “a purely Iraqi military group established to fight terrorism, with funding from the Iraqi treasury”.
“Yet it has carried out many military operations in a way that serves only Iranian interests,” Turko said, even to the detriment of Iraq.
“Iran is once again exploiting the wealth and natural resources of the peoples of the region to fund its plans and proxies, without taking into account that the people need the money to rebuild what has been destroyed,” he said.
Many areas of Iraq suffer from neglect due to the ongoing wars.
Even though the Iraqi leadership disapproves of Kataib Hizbullah’s actions, Turko said, the militia is continuing its operations in Syria, as well as its dubious activities in Iraq.
Much of the attention of Iran-backed militias, including Kataib Hizbullah, has been focused on shoring up and consolidating a presence in areas of strategic interest — particularly around the Anbar province border town of al-Qaim — a main crossing with Syria.
The border area is a key segment of the route that these groups use to move fighters, weapons and even consumer goods between Iraq and Syria.
Source » iranbriefing