Also Known As: al-Imam Hussein Brigade; Imam Hussein Brigade militia;
Country Of Origin: Syria
Leaders: Amjad al- Bahadli, the first commander
Key Members: Feras al-Mahdawi, Abu Ali al Assad
Operational Area: Syria, Iraq
Involved In: The “al-Imam Hussein Brigade” is a militia made up of sub-units (militias) primarily made up of Syrian operatives (Sunnis, Druze, and Shiites) and Iraqi operatives (of Shi’ite background).
General Info:
Amjad al- Bahadli, the first commander of the “al-Imam Hussein Brigade”, died of a heart attack in 2017. Sheikh Amjad al- Bahadli was an Iraqi-born member of the Al-Sadri movement. He resided in Syria before the civil conflict began. Amjad al- Bahadli, the first commander of the “al-Imam Hussein Brigade,” appears in one of the videos standing in front of one of the Sayyida Sukhina (daughter of Ali ibn Abi Taleb) temples, saying, “Thank Allah, because this is the first time in five years that we have held prayers in this temple.” “We thank the Syrian leadership, led by Hussein of this generation, Bashar Hafez al-Assad, and the Fourth Division, led by Maher al-Assad, for returning the Temple of Sayyida Sukhina to its loved ones, as well as everyone who participated in this operation from both the Western and Eastern Ghouta.
Another video shows Amjad al- Bahadli, in an open area, encouraging his men to fight for Syria. ” Labik Ya Syria” (we are at your command, Syria), ” Labik Ya Bashar Assad” (we are at your command, Bashar Assad). In the film, Amjad states, “We are part of the mixed and united Syrian army, fighting a cruel enemy who does not distinguish between a Shiite, Sunni, Alawite, or Druze fighter, we are brothers, and we will fight together for Syria.”
After Amjad al- Bahadli’s death, his brother, As’ad al-Bahadli, assumed command of the brigade.
On July 21, 2023, the American magazine “Newsweek” published an article regarding the Imam Hussein Brigade
The article was stated to be based on information from an intelligence report belonging to “one of the United States’ allies.” The militia is known as “the strongest Iranian militia in Syria.” Most of the numbers given by Newsweek relate to the Imam Hussein Brigade’s actions through 2019. This included rocket attacks on Israel in January and June of 2019. There was an attempt to launch a drone assault against Israel in August 2019. After 2019, the most recent data was a drone attack on US forces in Al-Tanf in October 2021.
Senior commanders of the al-Imam Hussein Brigade admit that they operate under the command of the 4th Division:
In 2019, some of the brigade’s senior commanders were interviewed. According to Abu Ali al-Assad (originally from the Syrian village of Nubl in northern Syria), who serves as commander of the “death squad,” which is a unit composed of Syrians and Iraqis (part of the Sayyid Ali al-Karbalai/Ali al-Musawi groups) within the al-Imam Hussein Brigade, the main support comes from the 4th Division. He went on to say that the 4th Division was in charge of wages, armaments, and training.
On May 17, 2019, Feras al-Mahdawi, another prominent militia commander of Iraqi descent, stated that all finance and weapons come from the 4th Division. Before the civil conflict, many Iraqis lived in Syria. They played an essential role in forming militias that defended Sayyida Zaynab’s Tomb in Damascus. Feras al-Mahdawi is a Baghdad native who has lived in Syria since 2004 and married a Syrian woman.
Division 4’s locations that serve as storage facilities for equipment and weapons that arrive via the Iranian corridor:
Several indicators indicate that numerous sites of the 4th Division were attacked during the CBW. The most recent attack in western Damascus (July 19) may have also struck 4th Division installations in the area between Qudssaya- As Saboura and Al Dimass.
The intelligence official, who requested anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the information, told Newsweek that U.S. officials had been briefed on the contents of the document, which covered the existence of the “Imam Hossein Division,” said to be linked to the expeditionary Quds Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
“The Division is the Quds Force’s most elite fighting force in Syria, and is considered to have powerful and robust capabilities,” the document shared with Newsweek read.
Armed with precision-guided munitions and both attack and spy drones, along with a broad array of lighter weaponry, the division conducted an intensive barrage of drone and rocket attacks that hit the U.S. military garrison in southeastern Al-Tanf in October 2021, according to the intelligence official.
The intelligence official also pointed to Imam Hossein Division operations launched against Israel, including a surface-to-surface missile attack in January 2019, a rocket attack in June 2019 and an attempted drone attack on August 2019 that was said to have been intercepted by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).