In a January 8, 2019 interview with the Iranian Ettelaat daily, Sheikh Akram Al-Kaabi, secretary-general of the Iraqi Shi'ite pro-Iran "Hizbullah Al-Nujaba" militia, discussed the importance of the Qods Force – the special force of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) that operates outside Iran – and its ideological and practical contribution to the Iraqi Shi'ite militias. He also focused on Al-Nujaba's activity in Syria, on the need for increasing the Iraqi militias' cooperation with the Palestinian resistance movements, and on Al-Nujaba's willingness to aid the Houthis in Yemen.
Stating that if the U.S. were to act against the Iraqi Shi'ite militias the latter's response would be surprising and decisive, he emphasized that it would not consist of only a missile attack. He clarified that the resistance axis led by the Iranian regime would not allow Iraq to become an American satellite or to act against Iran.[1]
View MEMRI TV clip of January 1, 2019 statements by Al-Kaabi on Al-Nujaba links to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) and Hizbullah here or below:
The following are the main points of Al-Kaabi's statements in his January 8, 2019 interview with the Iranian daily Ettelaat:
Akram Al-Kaabi (image: Ettelaat, Iran)
"The Saudis Are Trying To Instill A Cultural And Philosophical Cholera Among The Young People"
"Saudi Arabia has changed its method and its activity. In the not-so-distant past, this country supported ISIS in order to destroy Iraq; it asked its ISIS-member politicians and mercenaries to seriously consider destroying Iraq, and not to permit security in this country. Now, Saudi Arabia, with the same ugly face and the same jihali [i.e., pagan, pre-Islamic] thought, wants to lead the Arab and Islamic countries. This country is playing a negative role in Iraq because it fears us and sees Iran as its rival.
"After the failure of the takfiri groups [i.e., ISIS], whose mission was to destabilize Iraq on all levels – financially, by means of weapons, and by [spreading] mistaken beliefs supported by Riyadh – the Saudis changed their method, and now are trying to instill a cultural and philosophical cholera among the young people, by establishing cultural and service institutions that are in fact intelligence institutions with misleading names, and that engage [also] in spreading prostitution. But Satan remains Satan even though he wants to mislead us with makeup and a pretty face. The Aal Saud regime is the horn of Satan. Our struggle against them [i.e. the Saudis] will continue according to plan, on all levels – cultural and media – until their filthy plots are exposed."
Qods Force – The Jihadi Elite
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"Our brothers in the Qods Force [of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC)] are without a doubt the jihadi elite, and they have vast experience and high morality, and without a doubt there must be ideological and moral interaction with them. They not only serve as military advisors, but they were by our side in all areas. This unique behavior and morality played an important role in the Iraqi fighters' victories, in increasing their spirituality, and in developing their capabilities."
The Al-Nujaba-Hashd Al-Sha'bi Relationship
"Al-Nujaba is a separate and independent movement with supporters of its own. Al-Hashd Al-Sha'bi consists of all the resistance groups in Iraq, and Al-Nujaba played a clear and important role in its establishment [and has an important role in] supporting it and in fighting ISIS (under the command of the [local] popular Basij) until the military operations are completed.
"Today, Al-Hashd Al-Sha'bi is a security force that is directly subordinate to Iraq's prime minister. Al-Nujaba, like other resistance movements, received spiritual support [from Al-Hashd] and it [reciprocates] by defending [Al-Hashd's] power, faith and spirituality."
Al-Nujaba's Activity In Syria
As for Al-Nujaba's activity in Syria, I must say that we helped the Syrian nation in its struggle against the takfiri groups. This nation deserved our help, since it is a great nation that was oppressed and did not forget our jihad, efforts and steadfastness [on it behalf] and the blood we shed [fighting] alongside it. Today we are witnessing very close cooperation between the Syrian nation and the Al-Nujaba forces, and they continue to appreciate our efforts. Thank God, Syria is strong thanks to the support of its people, and it has won this war with God's help and will continue to triumph in the future.
We Will Strive, Together With The Syrian Army, To Liberate The Occupied Palestinian Territories
"The Syrian nation is strong and has an army that has raised the flag of defending Jerusalem and liberating the occupied [Palestinian] territories. Therefore, we will remain at its side and strive together to liberate the occupied territories. Today the Zionist regime is weak and does not have the initiative. They [the Zionists] cannot start a war, because, psychologically, they are so weak and fragile that they are unable to confront the [Islamic] resistance. Therefore, [we] believe that if [the Israelis] start a war against Hizbullah it will inevitably end with the enemy's defeat. The army of this Zionist regime has failed, from a psychological and religious perspective, and it does not adhere to the homeland because it does not have a homeland. Recently we saw that it could not hold its own for more than two days against the resistance forces in Gaza, and if there is a war between the Zionist regime and Hizbullah its outcomes will surely favor the resistance axis.
"It is very important that there be full coordination among these [various resistance] groups. Today there is a reasonable [degree of] coordination, but we must strengthen the cooperation between the Iraqi and Palestinian resistance groups.
"The Zionist regime tried to drive a wedge between the Iraqi and Palestinian peoples by means of a soft war and by means of the takfiri groups that fought on its behalf. That project was an old evil plan that began in the time of Saddam [Hussein], and after his downfall the U.S. continued it. I believe that strengthening the ties between the Iraqi and Palestinian resistance groups will have significant impact in the region. At this stage, it will be enough if we defeat the Zionists' historic plan to pry Iraq away from the resistance axis and the Palestinian cause...
The U.S. Will Encounter A Surprising And Decisive Response
"America and the Saudi and Zionist regimes are particularly persistent in their efforts to topple Al-Hashd Al-Sha'bi. In the domestic [Iraqi arena], their mercenaries and servants, including ISIS and ISIS-member politicians, share these [objectives]. If America targets Iraqi forces, [such as] Al-Hashd Al-Sha'bi or some other [organization], we will respond with a decisive and impolite [blow]. Our response will not be only a missile attack, as they believe. We will draw closer to them. Our response will be surprising and appropriate, and Allah will aid us.
"The new Iraqi government will not ignore America's bullying and will not allow the Iranian people to be pressured, because the Iranian people took an honorable stance vis-à-vis Iraq. The resistance [axis] will certainly not allow Iraq to be a piece in the American puzzle, as the [Americans] once wanted it to be.
We Have Informed Our Brothers In Ansar Allah [i.e., The Houthis In Yemen] That We Are Willing To Stand With Them On Every Level"
"The war in Yemen is a cruel and savage war, and the enemy, Saudi Arabia, does not abide by standards of morality and courage. It's astonishing that the arrogant countries and their Arab mercenaries have all come together to destroy a single helpless nation and to bomb and starve innocent people. The silence of the UN and global public opinion in this matter is also very shameful.
"As for the possibility of military aid, we believe that Yemen has men (Ansar Allah) that Aal Sa'ud [i.e., the Saudi regime], America, the Zionists and others cannot defeat. Nevertheless, we have informed our brothers in Ansar Allah that [we] are willing to stand with them, on all levels: humanitarian, military and other."
[1] See MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 7835, Iran-Backed Shi'ite Militias In Iraq: We Will Drive Out The Americans By Force, January 8, 2019; see also MEMRI TV Clip No. 6961, Al-Nujaba Militia Leader Sheikh Akram Al-Kaabi: IRGC, Lebanese Hizbullah Officers Have Guided Us In Fighting The American Forces Since 2004, And Helped Us Improve Our IEDs, January 1, 2019.
