ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The United States on Monday announced a reward of up to $10 million for information on the leader of a shadowy Iraqi armed group that recently gained notoriety for deadly attacks on alleged American targets during the six-week Iran war. The move comes just days after Washington offered a similar reward for information on the whereabouts of another Iran-aligned Iraqi armed group commander.
The US Department of State’s Rewards for Justice program said in a statement that it is offering “a reward of up to $10 million for information” on “Haydar Muzhir Ma’lak al-Sa’idi, also known as Haydar al-Gharawi,” whom it identified as “the leader and secretary-general of Harakat Ansar Allah al-Awfiya (HAAA), an Iran-aligned terrorist group in Iraq.”
According to the State Department, Sa’idi’s group “has attacked U.S. diplomatic facilities in Iraq, as well as U.S. military bases and personnel in Iraq, Jordan, and Syria, killing U.S. service members,” adding that those who share information on the armed group leader may be “eligible for relocation and a reward.”
Both Harakat Ansar Allah al-Awfiya and its leader have been on the State Department’s list of Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs) since mid-2024 over their activities as part of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq (IRI).
The IRI emerged in the immediate aftermath of the outbreak of the Gaza war in October 2023, bringing together several influential Iran-aligned Iraqi armed factions that often operate through shadow groups. The umbrella entity is believed to include Kata’ib Sayyid al-Shuhada, Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq, Kata’ib Hezbollah, and Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba.
The US and Israel on February 28 launched a widescale aerial campaign against Iran, targeting more than 17,000 sites across the country over six weeks.
In response, Tehran carried out drone and missile strikes across the Middle East, targeting alleged US assets - particularly in Gulf Arab states - as well as launching retaliatory attacks against Israel.
The Iranian response also involved Iraqi armed groups aligned with the Tehran-led ‘Axis of Resistance’ and operating under the banner of the IRI claiming responsibility for attacks on alleged US targets in the region, including in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region.
In its capacity as the IRI, the entity in early April claimed it carried out 753 attacks against alleged US targets across the country, over the first six-week Iran war. However, that number has since risen.
Notably, the reward for information on Sa’idi comes just days after the State Department on Friday announced a similar offer for information on Hashim Finyan Rahim al-Saraji, also known as Abu Ala al-Wala’i, the leader and secretary-general of Kata’ib Sayyid al-Shuhada, citing the group’s involvement in the killing of Iraqi civilians and attacks on “U.S. diplomatic facilities in Iraq, as well as U.S. military bases and personnel in Iraq and Syria.”
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