Kamal Ghorui
The US State Department has announced a reward of up to $10 million for information on Hashim Finyan Rahim al-Saraji, also known as Abu Alaa al-Walai, the leader of the Tehran-backed Iraqi armed group Kataeb Sayyid al-Shuhada (KSS), which Washington designates as a terrorist organisation.In a post on X on Friday, US officials said they were seeking information on al-Saraji’s whereabouts. The post said those providing information “could be eligible for relocation and a reward”.Washington said KSS has “killed Iraqi civilians and attacked US diplomatic facilities in Iraq, as well as attacking U.S. military bases and personnel in Iraq and Syria.”According to AFP, Al-Saraji holds a seat in the Coordination Framework, the ruling Shiite alliance that has a parliamentary majority in Iraq.Iran-backed groups have targeted the US embassy in Baghdad, a diplomatic and logistics facility at Baghdad airport, and oil fields operated by foreign companies.The development comes amid heightened tensions in the Middle East region following the weeks-long conflict involving the US, Iran and Israel, which began on February 28 when the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran, prompting retaliatory attacks on US bases in Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Syria, in a move that reportedly “surprised” even the Trump administration. A fragile ceasefire in the broader conflict was extended on Thursday.Earlier this month, the US announced a similar reward for the leader of Kataeb Hezbollah, an Iraqi armed group whose leader was accused of kidnapping US journalist Shelly Kittleson last month before releasing her a week later.According to US media reports this week, Washington has also increased pressure on Baghdad to act against pro-Tehran groups by suspending cash shipments and freezing funding for security programmes in Iraq.
