Saraya Awliya al-Dam

Saraya Awliya al-Dam, also referred to by the abbreviation SAD, is a Shi’ite pro-Iran militia based in Iraq. The organization is known for its counter-U.S. operations in Northern Iraq.

In 2021, the group claimed responsibility for the 2021 Erbil rocket attacks, which killed two civilians and injured six more, including an American soldier.

A report by the Washington Institute suggested that they might have connections to Asaib Ahl al-Haq, an Iraqi Shi’a paramilitary.

SAD has been described as “a relatively new player” in the Iraqi conflict. The first operation of Saraya Awliya al-Dam occurred on 24 August 2020, when they attacked a group of Iraqi trucks that may have been carrying U.S. goods. The organization confirmed they were responsible.

On 6 January 2021, another attack was launched by SAD on another convoy of trucks.

The day after the 2021 Erbil rocket attacks, SAD claimed responsibility for the airstrikes. It was the most serious attack on the coalition since the Biden administration began. SAD proclaimed:

“The American occupation will not be safe from our strikes in any inch of the homeland, even in Kurdistan, where we promise we will carry out other qualitative operations.”

SAD officially supports Iran, and is often classified as an Iranian proxy. Iranian officials have denied allegations by some Iraqi politicians that they have ties to the group. SAD may also have ties to Kataib Hezbollah, which officially backs Iran.

The SAD is generally considered to be at odds with Turkey, and could possibly pose a threat to Turkey–Iran relations in the future. After the Erbil attacks, the SAD announced that they “only targeted American, Turkish, and Israeli occupation bases.” The journalist Shelly Kittleson commented:

Many commentators have suggested that SAD could be a front for the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF).

Reports by the Washington Institute suggested that they might have connections to Asaib Ahl al-Haq, an Iraqi Shi’a paramilitary, which is classified as a terrorist organization by the United States.

The militia has a Telegram account, which has been repeatedly noted by different news sources. Affiliated with Sabereen News

SAD first came to attention when it claimed an August 24, 2020, attack on a convoy of Iraqi trucks allegedly carrying U.S. goods. Dramatic video of the incident was posted to the group’s own channel. SAD claimed another convoy attack the following month, this time via a branded statement posted to Sabereen News on September 8.

By October 2020, the group appeared to be defunct, but on January 26, 2021, Sabereen posted claims that SAD had once again targeted U.S. convoys. Further claims were posted on February 2, this time accompanied by a branded statement.

In the early hours of February 16, 2021, Sabereen broke the news that SAD was claiming a rocket attack on coalition forces in Erbil. One minute later, the Sabereen account posted a statement purporting to be from SAD and formally claiming responsibility. An official, branded statement by SAD was posted later that day, again via Sabereen. Yet Kurdish intelligence later extracted confessions from accused perpetrators who claimed to belong to Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada (KSS). The U.S. government has stated that it believes KSS and Kataib Hezbollah (KH) carried out the Erbil attack.

On May 30, 2024, SAD issued imagery of two Iranian-made Shahed-101 X-wing drones and claimed to have attacked “two separate vital targets in Haifa harbor.” There was no independent confirmation of this attack on Israel, and the Iraqi umbrella group Islamic Resistance in Iraq did not claim such an attack on that day. The three clerics shown in photographs on the wall behind the drones are Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, the late Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi, and Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani of Iraq.

In June 2024, subsequent SAD videos were released showing other martyr images in the same underground den, apparently with the same two Shahed-101 drones.

– The preponderance of evidence shows that SAD is linked to KSS and KH given each group’s apparent involvement in the February 2021 Erbil attack.

SAD has a media channel on Telegram that appears to be official. This channel is not influential, however, posting just four statements and one attack video between August 2020 and March 2021. The majority of the group’s claims and statements are published by Sabereen News, which has a vastly larger audience.