Mumbai, January 30: The US on Monday identified the three soldiers killed in the drone attack on a US military outpost in Jordan. Sgt. William Rivers, 46, of Carrollton, Georgia; Specialist Kennedy Sanders, 24, of Waycross, Georgia; and Specialist Breonna Moffett, 23, of Savannah, Georgia, were the members of the United States troops killed in a drone attack, according to the Defense Department.

Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh blamed Iran for enabling groups to attack the United States. "In terms of, attribution for the attack, we know this is an IRGC-backed militia. It has the footprints of Kataib Hezbollah. But we are not making a final assessment on that. Our teams here are continuing to do the analysis, but we know that Iran is behind it. And, certainly, as we've said before, here in this briefing room, Iran continues to arm and equip these groups to launch these attacks," Singh said. Now the question arises - who are Kataib Hezbollah? We at LatestLY bring you everything you need to know about the Iran-backed group. Jordan: Three US Service Members Killed, Many Injured in Drone Attack by Iran-Backed Militia Groups.

Who Are Kataib Hezbollah?

Kataib Hezbollah (KH) is a radical Shiite armed group that was formed after the US invasion of Iraq in 2003. The group aims to create an Iranian-style government in Iraq, drive out US and coalition forces, and promote Iran's interests in the region, according to Counter Terrorism Guide.

The group is one of Iran's closest allies in Iraq and Syria and may also operate in other countries such as Bahrain, Iran, Lebanon, and Saudi Arabia, according to the US National Counterterrorism Center. The group has a history of launching deadly attacks on military and diplomatic targets, using snipers, rockets, mortars, and roadside bombs. Middle East Crisis: US, UK Launch Retaliatory Strikes on Houthi Sites in Yemen’s Red Sea After Attack on British Oil Tanker.

History of Kataib Hezbollah Leader

The group's former leader, Jamal Jaafar Ibrahimi, also known as Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, was a dual Iraqi-Iranian citizen who was killed by a US drone strike in 2020, along with Iran's top general, Qassem Soleimani, at Baghdad's airport. Ibrahimi was accused of being behind the bombings of the US and French embassies in Kuwait in 1983 and the attempted assassination of Kuwait's emir in 1985.

The group's current leader is Ahmad al-Hamidawi, who was designated as a global terrorist by the US in February 2020. The group's size and arsenal are not clear, but Reuters reports that Iraqi officials and group members say the group has thousands of fighters and weapons such as drones, rockets, and short-range missiles.

Kataib Hezbollah is part of Iraq’s Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF), a state-backed coalition of militias that fought the Islamic State in 2014. Some KH members are US-designated terrorists and hold senior PMF posts. The group does not always follow Iraq’s prime minister, who is the PMF’s nominal leader and continues to attack US forces. KH is also believed to have entered politics in 2021, winning some parliamentary seats.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 30, 2024 09:25 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).