Who are the Iraqi armed militants hit by US-Saudi strikes?

The United States and Saudi Arabia on Wednesday struck positions belonging to the Hashed al-Shaabi, an armed Iraqi alliance including powerful pro-Iran groups that have long threatened Washington.

The Hashed al-Shaabi, also known as the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF), is a network of Shia-majority factions that was established in 2014 to fight the Islamic State group.

It was formed following a fatwa from Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, the highest Shia Islamic religious authority in Iraq, at a time when IS was conquering swathes of the country.

Pro-Iran armed groups heeded the call and were also joined in the fight by Iraqi volunteers from across the country.

The Hashed forces were mostly trained by Iranians and led by Tehran-backed armed groups, which fought American forces after the US-led invasion that toppled former ruler Saddam Hussein in 2003.

Their efforts were overseen by General Qasem Soleimani, the former head of the Quds Force, the foreign operations arm of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Soleimani was killed in an American strike in Baghdad in 2020.

In 2016, a law integrated the Hashed into the regular security forces, and a year later the alliance contributed to IS's defeat by the Iraqi army, which was supported by the US-led anti-jihadist coalition.

The US has held major sway in Iraq since its 2003 invasion. But Iran has also built its influence and seen its Shia allies installed in Baghdad's halls of power.

- Groups loyal to Iran -

Today the Hashed encompasses dozens of groups, including brigades belonging to powerful pro-Iran armed factions, which are blacklisted as terrorist organisations by the US.

Some factions face accusations of collecting government salaries for their fighters while acting independently of the state.

Over the years, they have seen their clout grow, with some gaining seats in parliament, even as several group leaders, including the Hashed's top commander, have been subjected to US sanctions.

Several pro-Iran groups are also part of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq alliance, which has claimed hundreds of attacks against US facilities in Iraq and the region during the Middle East war.

They pledge their allegiance first and foremost to the Tehran-led "axis of resistance", which includes Lebanon's Hezbollah, Hamas in Gaza and Yemen's Houthis.

The most active among them are Kataeb Hezbollah, which has long spearheaded attacks on US interests in Iraq, and over the years has lost key commanders in American strikes.

They also include Kataeb Sayyid al-Shuhada and the al-Nujaba movement.

In some cases, these groups are present on Hashed al-Shaabi bases. But they also have their own bases, arm depots and workshops, mostly for making drones.

The groups mainly rely on explosive-laden drones but also possess rockets, and are believed to have short-range ballistic missiles.