Little-known armed groups — possibly linked to pro-Iran Kataib Hezbollah — have in recent months targeted “vice” in Baghdad by attacking shops selling alcohol while simultaneously becoming more involved in religious youth groups that some claim may pose a danger for Iraq’s future.
The burning of the Kurdistan Democratic Party’s Baghdad offices in late October, as well as recent attacks on media outlets and on US-led international coalition logistics convoys and facilities, have been either attributed to or claimed by these groups.