Sunday, September 24, 2023
Nordic Monitor
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Extremism
  • Military
  • Terrorism and Crime
  • Intelligence
  • Foreign Policy
  • Contact Us
    • Give us a tip!
  • About Us
  • Home
  • Extremism
  • Military
  • Terrorism and Crime
  • Intelligence
  • Foreign Policy
  • Contact Us
    • Give us a tip!
  • About Us
No Result
View All Result
Nordic Monitor
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Extremism
  • Military
  • Terrorism and Crime
  • Intelligence
  • Foreign Policy
  • Contact Us
  • About Us

Ankara hides meeting between Turkish foreign minister and Iran-backed Shiite militia leader during Iraq visit

August 25, 2023
in copyedited, Intelligence
A A
Ankara hides meeting between Turkish foreign minister and Iran-backed Shiite militia leader during Iraq visit
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Levent Kenez/Stockholm

Turkish foreign minister and former spymaster Hakan Fidan visited Iraq on August 22-24. With discussions in Baghdad and Erbil, Fidan met with the Iraqi president, prime minister and several Iraqi politicians. The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs showcased Fidan’s visits in a photo gallery on their website. However, the ministry omitted Fidan’s meeting with Qais Al-Khazali, leader of the Iran-backed Iraqi Shiite militia Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq who was designated as a terrorist by the US in 2019. Similarly, the Turkish state-run Anadolu news agency did not report on the controversial meeting.

Khazali is the founder and secretary general of the Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq party also known as the Khazali Network. This political group, aligned with Iran and a member of the pro-shite Fatah Alliance, exerts influence within the Iraqi Shia community. Their involvement spans significant periods such as the Iraq War and the Syrian Civil War.

Khazali is a notable figure recognized for his leadership within the Iran-backed Special Groups in Iraq. His prominent role extended from June 2006 until his capture by British forces in March 2007. As head of the Special Groups, Khazali is accused of being responsible for directing arms transport, forming squads for combat engagements and overseeing insurgent operations. Among the significant incidents attributed to his leadership was the attack on American forces in Karbala on January 20, 2007.

Hakan Fidan and Qais Al-Khazali in Baghdad on August 23, 2023. Source: Iraqi media

Khazali’s background includes his previous association with Iran’s Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sadr. However, he was removed from al-Sadr’s Mahdi Army in 2004 due to issuing orders without proper authorization.

In 2007 British forces conducted a successful operation, apprehending Khazali, along with his brother and a Lebanese advisor, from a house in Basra. Khazali’s captivity came to an end in January 2010, following an exchange involving British citizen Peter Moore, a computer consultant who had been kidnapped by Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq. Since his release, Khazali has focused on recruiting Iraqi Shiite militias to go to Syria in support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Khazali was designated by the US Department of the Treasury due to his involvement in serious human rights abuses. According to the Treasury, Khazali played a prominent role in a 2007 attack that resulted in the death of five US soldiers.  

Kurds in northern Iraq claim that Khazali is responsible for the deaths of thousands due to due to his support for violence against non-Shiite groups, demanding that he stand trial.

During the unannounced meeting Khazali addressed the matter of the Turkish military presence on Iraqi soil as well as the use of Iraqi territory for hostile actions against Turkey. Khazali had previously engaged with Turkish ambassadors and is known for his opposition to Turkey’s military presence in both Iraq and Syria.

Khazali also told Fidan that Turkey should increase water releases from the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. 

Fidan expressed gratitude to Khazali for his insight on matters of mutual interest, praising his contributions to Iraq’s security, sovereignty and state-building efforts, Iraqi media reported.

In January 2023 UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres faced backlash for being photographed alongside two militia leaders, one of them Khazali, during his visit to Iraq. 

Meanwhile, Fidan has been accused by some opposition circles of being pro-Iran. A Turkish operative linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force reportedly communicated that Fidan, the head of Turkey’s intelligence agency MIT (Milli İstihbarat Teşkilatı) at the time, held a position of trust and shared the revolutionary aspirations of the Iranian regime. Allegations suggest that he harbored anti-US and anti-Israeli sentiment.

According to confidential documents obtained by Nordic Monitor, Turkish police who were investigating Quds Force cells in Turkey as part of a counterterrorism probe discovered a collection of resumés handed over to Naser Ghafari, a Quds Force representative in Turkey. Among the CVs was a profile report on Fidan, then deputy undersecretary of MIT. Fidan was appointed MIT chief in May 2010.

Fidan’s profile stated, “He [Fidan] wants to wipe the United States and Israel from the face of the earth, he loves the [Iranian] revolution, he wants it to succeed, he believes the [Iranian] revolution is under the control of Shiite Muslims with universal views.”

ShareTweet
Previous Post

Turkey’s chief of general staff set up a secret hit team for extrajudicial murders, targeting minorities

Next Post

Erdogan government funds al-Qaeda-linked Turkish terrorist group IBDA-C

Levent Kenez

Levent Kenez

[email protected]

Next Post
Erdogan government funds al-Qaeda-linked Turkish terrorist group IBDA-C

Erdogan government funds al-Qaeda-linked Turkish terrorist group IBDA-C

Erdoğan urges US gov’t to lift defense industry sanctions despite lack of concrete steps toward Sweden’s NATO membership

Erdoğan urges US gov’t to lift defense industry sanctions despite lack of concrete steps toward Sweden’s NATO membership

September 22, 2023

The release of ISIS suspects gaining momentum in Turkey, new figures reveal

September 21, 2023
Document confirms diplomats spied on Erdoğan critic abducted by Turkish intelligence in Tajikistan

Document confirms diplomats spied on Erdoğan critic abducted by Turkish intelligence in Tajikistan

September 20, 2023
Turkey shifts focus to alternative projects as new US-backed trade corridor bypasses it for Greece

Turkey shifts focus to alternative projects as new US-backed trade corridor bypasses it for Greece

September 19, 2023
President Erdogan recruited antisemitic Turkish cleric indicted on sex trafficking charges

President Erdogan recruited antisemitic Turkish cleric indicted on sex trafficking charges

September 18, 2023
Mafia leader exposes looting of Erdogan critics’ houses

Mafia leader exposes looting of Erdogan critics’ houses

September 15, 2023
Extremist Turkish cop who led torture sessions in Ankara rewarded by Erdogan government

Extremist Turkish cop who led torture sessions in Ankara rewarded by Erdogan government

September 13, 2023
Mozambique emerges as a potential new buyer of Turkish drones

Mozambique emerges as a potential new buyer of Turkish drones

September 12, 2023
Turkey’s far right leader has long been an operative of Turkey’s ‘deep state’

Turkey’s far right leader has long been an operative of Turkey’s ‘deep state’

September 11, 2023
US Muslim Brotherhood leader calls Erdoğan’s re-election a ‘victory for the Muslim world’

US Muslim Brotherhood leader calls Erdoğan’s re-election a ‘victory for the Muslim world’

September 11, 2023

Nordic Monitor

Nordic Monitor is a news web site and tracking site that is run by the Stockholm-based Nordic Research and Monitoring Network. It covers religious, ideological and ethnic extremist movements and radical groups, with a special focus on Turkey.

Tags

al-Qaeda Andrei Karlov Andrei Karlov China coup Cyprus Diyanet Egypt espionage Germany Greece Gülen Movement Hakan Fidan Hulusi Akar Iran IRGC Quds Force ISIL ISIS Isis al-qaida Israel Libya Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu MIT Muslim Brotherhood NATO President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Profiling Qatar Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Russia SADAT Saudi Arabia spying Spying Activities Suleyman Soylu Sweden Syria Torture Turkey Turkish Intelligence Agency Turkish intelligence agency MIT UID Ukraine United States Yasin al-Qadi

Recent News

Erdoğan urges US gov’t to lift defense industry sanctions despite lack of concrete steps toward Sweden’s NATO membership

Erdoğan urges US gov’t to lift defense industry sanctions despite lack of concrete steps toward Sweden’s NATO membership

September 22, 2023

The release of ISIS suspects gaining momentum in Turkey, new figures reveal

September 21, 2023
Document confirms diplomats spied on Erdoğan critic abducted by Turkish intelligence in Tajikistan

Document confirms diplomats spied on Erdoğan critic abducted by Turkish intelligence in Tajikistan

September 20, 2023

Copyright © Nordic Research and Monitoring Network All rights reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Extremism
  • Military
  • Terrorism and Crime
  • Intelligence
  • Foreign Policy
  • Contact Us
    • Give us a tip!
  • About Us

Copyright © Nordic Research and Monitoring Network All rights reserved.