Iraqi militias claim volunteers readying to defend Iran from US: What to know
Kataib Hezbollah and Harakat al-Nujaba have said they are registering volunteers to defend Iran should the US attack.
Two prominent Iran-backed militias in Iraq claim they are mobilizing forces in preparation for potential US military action against Iran.
Sabereen News, an outlet affiliated with the militias, published photos showing dozens of volunteers flocking to a registration center in the central Babil province on Thursday to sign up to defend the Islamic Republic, following a call for mobilization from Kataib Hezbollah leader Abu Hussein al‑Hamidawi.
Sheikh Nazem al-Saidi, who heads the executive council of the Harakat al-Nujaba militia, announced on Wednesday that the group’s offices throughout Iraq are open to volunteers “with the goal of defending Islam," according to the outlet.
What we know: The two militias said dozens more volunteers signed up in Baghdad and the central city of Hillah, according to Arabic-language and Iraqi media reports on Friday. The groups did not specify how many people have registered.
