MEF Menu
Middle East ForumDonateSupport MEF
Jihad IntelProfiles of jihadist groups, with designation status current as of November 9, 2026

Database: Identifiers of Designated Islamic Terrorist Organizations

Kata'ib al-Shaheed al-Awal

Designation Status (as of November 9, 2026)

US State Dept FTONot listed official list
US Treasury OFAC SDN (SDGT)Not listed official list
UK ProscribedNot listed official list
EU Terrorist ListsNot listed official list
Canada Listed EntitiesNot listed official list
Australia ListedNot listed official list

Official lists as of November 9, 2026. Listing names are quoted as the list gives them. What changed since 2018

Profile written 2014 The profile below is the original Jihad Intel text and has not been updated. Designation status above is current.

Not yet designated terrorist by a Western country.

Base of operations: Iraq

Kata'ib al-Shaheed al-Awal ('The First Martyr Battalions': in reference to Ayatollah Muhammad Baqir al-Sadr) is a Shi'a militia that has emerged as part of the wider 'Popular Mobilization' (al-hashad al-sha'abi) movement among Iraqi Shi'a since June 2014. It is led by Sayyid Ali al-Mousawi.