Badr Organization
Encyclopedia
The Badr Organization previously known as the Badr Brigades or Badr Corps (not to be confused with the Badr Brigade in the Jordanian Army
) is an Iraq
i political party headed by Hadi al-Amiri
. Previously it was the armed wing of the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq but since the 2003 invasion of Iraq
most of its fighters have entered the new Iraqi army and police force and it officially became a completely political organisation.
The organization was based in Iran for two decades during the rule of Saddam Hussein
. It consisted of several thousand Iraqi exiles, refugees, and defectors who fought alongside Iran in the Iran–Iraq War. Returning to Iraq following the 2003 coalition invasion the group changed its name from brigade to organization in response to the attempted voluntary disarming of Iraqi militias by the Coalition Provisional Authority. It is however widely believed the organization is still active as a militia within the security forces and it has been accused of sectarian killings during the Iraqi Civil War.
to fight Saddam Hussein
's Baathist regime in Iraq. Its members were drawn from Iraqi Shia political and religious dissidents. The Badr forces fought alongside Iran in the Iran–Iraq War (1980–1988). Before 2003, it was based in Iran for two decades during the rule of Saddam Hussein.
The Badr Organization has eased pressure on US Occupation forces, by having its members be Iraqi security forces and assist in fighting insurgents, human rights groups have expressed concern that the organization engages is also unfairly targeting Iraqis because they are not Shiite fundamentalists.
Iraqi Sunnis have also been, reportedly, targeted by members of the Badr Corps as well as Iraqi Shiites who do not share the Badrs' Islamic fundamentalist beliefs. Since 2005, there have been reports that the organization has specifically targeted LGBT
Iraqis for execution, as part of a larger campaign against decadence and immorality.
There have also been reports of sporadic arguments and fire fighting between members of the Badr organization and British forces along with an accusation that the organization is working for
Iran
, a charge that the organization strenuously denies.
Badr Brigade in the Jordanian Army
The Badr Brigade is a unit of around 1,500 Palestinian soldiers who receive their salaries from the Palestine Liberation Organization but are attached to the Jordanian army.- References :* , Ha'aretz, 27 June 2007...
) is an Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
i political party headed by Hadi al-Amiri
Hadi Al-Amiri
Hadi Al-Amiri is the current Iraqi minister of transportation and the head of the Badr Organization, which was the military wing of the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council...
. Previously it was the armed wing of the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq but since the 2003 invasion of Iraq
2003 invasion of Iraq
The 2003 invasion of Iraq , was the start of the conflict known as the Iraq War, or Operation Iraqi Freedom, in which a combined force of troops from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Poland invaded Iraq and toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein in 21 days of major combat operations...
most of its fighters have entered the new Iraqi army and police force and it officially became a completely political organisation.
The organization was based in Iran for two decades during the rule of Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003...
. It consisted of several thousand Iraqi exiles, refugees, and defectors who fought alongside Iran in the Iran–Iraq War. Returning to Iraq following the 2003 coalition invasion the group changed its name from brigade to organization in response to the attempted voluntary disarming of Iraqi militias by the Coalition Provisional Authority. It is however widely believed the organization is still active as a militia within the security forces and it has been accused of sectarian killings during the Iraqi Civil War.
History
Originally the Badr Brigade, it grew to a division and then a corps. The Badr Brigade was formed by Mohammed Baqir al-HakimMohammed Baqir al-Hakim
Ayatollah Sayed Mohammad Baqir al-Hakim , also known as Shaheed al-Mehraab was one of the foremost Twelver Shi'a Muslim leaders in Iraq until his assassination in a bombing in Najaf...
to fight Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003...
's Baathist regime in Iraq. Its members were drawn from Iraqi Shia political and religious dissidents. The Badr forces fought alongside Iran in the Iran–Iraq War (1980–1988). Before 2003, it was based in Iran for two decades during the rule of Saddam Hussein.
Structure
The Badr Corps consists of infantry, armor, artillery, anti-aircraft and commando units with an estimated strength of between 10,000 and 50,000 men (according to the Badr Organization) but this is difficult to confirm. It is also hard to estimate how much capability they have beyond light arms today as CPA forces are unlikely to have allowed them to retain armor and other easily identified heavy assets in Iraq's current (2007) uncertain situation.Badr Organization and post-invasion Iraq
Because of their opposition to Saddam Hussein, the Badr Brigade was seen as a U.S. asset in the fight against Baathist partisans. After the fall of Baghdad, Badr forces reportedly joined the newly-reconstituted army, police and Interior Ministry in significant numbers.The Badr Organization has eased pressure on US Occupation forces, by having its members be Iraqi security forces and assist in fighting insurgents, human rights groups have expressed concern that the organization engages is also unfairly targeting Iraqis because they are not Shiite fundamentalists.
Iraqi Sunnis have also been, reportedly, targeted by members of the Badr Corps as well as Iraqi Shiites who do not share the Badrs' Islamic fundamentalist beliefs. Since 2005, there have been reports that the organization has specifically targeted LGBT
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
Iraqis for execution, as part of a larger campaign against decadence and immorality.
There have also been reports of sporadic arguments and fire fighting between members of the Badr organization and British forces along with an accusation that the organization is working for
Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
, a charge that the organization strenuously denies.