| Sheibani Network | |
|---|---|
| Leaders | Abu Mustafa al-Sheibani |
| Dates of operation | 2003–present |
| Active regions | Southern Iraq and Baghdad |
| Size | 280 (as of 2005)[1] |
| Part of | Iraqi insurgency Special Groups |
| Allies |  Mahdi ArmyAsa'ib Ahl al-Haq Promised Day Brigades Kata'ib Hezbollah Other Special Groups |
| Opponents |  United States of America Coalition Iraqi security forces Sunni insurgents |
| Battles and wars | Iraq War |
The Sheibani Network was an Iraqi smuggling network[1] and Shi'a Insurgent group[2] led by Abu Mustafa al-Sheibani, an ex-commander of the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq's Badr Brigades. The Badr Brigades' militiamen and supply lines became known collectively as the “Sheibani Network,” which maintained links to AAH and to Kata'ib Hezbollah.[3] The group was believed to be used by Iran's Revolutionary Guards' Quds Force to supply Iraqi Special Groups.[1] The group is alleged to be responsible for numerous attacks on Iraqi and Coalition forces.[2] In 2009 the American Enterprise Institute believed that the network consisted of 280 members, divided in 17 units.[1] US commanders estimated that weapons smuggled and used by the group were responsible for the death of 170 and injury of 600 American soldiers by February 2007.[4] Beginning in February 2013, reports from Iraqi newspapers Al Masalah and Kitabat claimed splits had emerged within Kata'ib Hezbollah, leading to the expulsion of al-Sheibani as its leader.[5] In May 2013 al-Sheibani founded Kata'ib Sayyid al-Shuhada, but retired from his role as leader in 2014 when he became an advisor to Iraqi Interior Minister Mohammed Al-Ghabban.[6]
- ^ a b c d Iran's Hard Power Influence in Iraq Archived 16 November 2014 at the Wayback Machine, 10 April 2009
- ^ a b BBC Iraq exit strategy still elusive, 21 September 2005
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
:0was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Iran's Provocations". Opinionjournal.com. Retrieved 4 September 2010.
- ^ Smyth, Phillip (2 February 2015). "The Shiite Jihad in Syria and Its Regional Effects (Appendix 2: Understanding the Organizations Deployed to Syria)". The Washington Institute. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
- ^ "OFAC Designates Iraqi Militiamen (Part 2): KSS and Abu Ala al-Walai". The Washington Institute. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
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