Database: Identifiers of Designated Islamic Terrorist Organizations
Liwa al-Qa'im
Designation Status (as of October 12, 2026)
| US State Dept FTO | Not listed official list |
|---|---|
| US Treasury OFAC SDN (SDGT) | Not listed official list |
| UK Proscribed | Not listed official list |
| EU Terrorist Lists | Not listed official list |
| Canada Listed Entities | Not listed official list |
| Australia Listed | Not listed official list |
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
Liwa al-Qa'im (The Brigade of the One Who Arises, with 'al-Qa'im' being a Shi'a reference to the Messiah/Mehdi) is a Shi'a militia that arose in Iraq in 2014 as part of the wider 'popular mobilization' trend among Iraqi Shi'a to push back against the Islamic State. With some proclaimed divisions like 'Fawj al-Jawadeen' and 'Fawj al-Karar', the militia is tied to the Blessed Sha'abaniya Uprising [referring to the 1991 Iraqi Shi'a uprising against Saddam Hussein] that is part of the wider Sadrist Ahrar political trend in Iraq. The militia's leader is one Abu al-Hassan al-Sa'adi, who also heads the Blessed Sha'abaniya Uprising bloc. The most notable claimed area of operation to date has been the Dabitiya area of north Baghdad, where the group claimed two 'martyrs' in late November 2014. Like other Shi'a militias, Liwa al-Qa'im defines itself as part of the wider 'Islamic Resistance' ('al-Muqawama al-Islamiya').
