Database: Identifiers of Designated Islamic Terrorist Organizations

Saraya al-Salam

Not yet designated terrorist by a Western country
Base of operations: Iraq
Background: Report by Jacob Siegel

Saraya al-Salam ("the Peace Brigades") is the revitalized form of Muqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army in the face of the rise of the Islamic State in Iraq. In light of Muqtada al-Sadr's tensions with Iran in his refusal to support sending Shi'a militiamen to Syria, Saraya al-Salam needs to be understood as a competitor to Iranian proxies like Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq and Kata'ib Hezbollah. Saraya al-Salam has claimed operations in a variety of localities in Iraq including Samarra (as part of the centrality of Shi'a militia narrative of defending the al-Askari shrines in the city) and Jurf al-Sakhr (Sunni Arab majority area in Babil province south of Baghdad and a once long-standing Islamic State hotspot).

Iraq: Unity of Shi'a Militias	Saraya al-Salam Armpatch	Saraya al-Salam Emblem	Saraya al-Salam Emblem
Saraya al-Salam Flag	Saraya al-Salam Gun Turret	Saraya al-Salam Vehicle	Saraya al-Salam: Funeral