MI Library Home: Groups CENTCOM: Peace Brigades

Alternate Names

Mahdi Army
Jaish al-Mahdi
Jaysh al-Mahdi
Army of the Mahdi
Imam Al-Mahdi Army
Sunni Mahdi

Video

Inside Moqtada al-Sadr's Notorious Army

Government and Military Papers

The Future of Moqtada al-Sadr’s New Jaysh al-Mahdi
Babak Rahimi. CTC Sentinel. January 15, 2009
The Return of Moqtada al-Sadr and the Revival of the Mahdi Army
Babak Rahimi. CTC Sentinel. June 3, 2010

Basic Information

"The Mahdi Army, also known as the Jaysh al-Mahdi (JAM), is a Shiite militia led by Muqtada al-Sadr. The group was founded in 2003, and it was considered one of the most dangerous groups in Iraq until early 2008. In March 2008, the Iraqi Security Forces and coalition troops launched a major offensive against the Mahdi Army in Basra, which significantly undermined its capacity. After signing a ceasefire agreement with the coalition forces in 2008, Sadr reoriented the Mahdi Army to focus on social services provision for the Shiite community. In 2010, Sadr again redirected the focus of many members of the Mahdi army, this time to the upcoming parliamentary elections, before stepping out of the public eye in 2013." Mapping Militant Organizations-Stanford

Books

The Forever War by Dexter Filkins
Call Number: DS79.76 .F53 2008
Following events from the rise of the Taliban in the 1990s, through the aftermath of the attack on New York on September 11, and the American wars in Iran and Afghanistan, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Filkins sets forth this definitive account which examines America's conflict with Islamic fundamentalism, and explores the human cost.
The Longest War by Peter L. Bergen
Call Number: HV6432 .B46 2011
In "The Longest War" Peter Bergen offers a comprehensive history of this war and its evolution, from the strategies devised in the wake of the 9/11 attacks to the fighting in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and beyond. Unlike any other book on this subject, here Bergen tells the story of this shifting war's failures and successes from the perspectives of both the United States and al-Qaeda and its allies. He goes into the homes of al-Qaeda members, rooting into the source of their devotion to terrorist causes, and spends time in the offices of the major players shaping the U.S. strategic efforts in the region. At a time when many are frustrated or fatigued with what has become an enduring multigenerational conflict, this book will provide an illuminating narrative that not only traces the arc of the fight but projects its likely future.

Public Websites and Articles

Iraq's al-Sadr Movement
Elie Abouaoun. United States Institute for Peace. June 2011.
Renewed Violence in Iraq
Douglas A. Ollivant, Council on Foreign Relations, August 2012
Rethinking Sadr: From Firebrand to Iraqi Statesman?
Renad Mansour. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. November 2014.
Urban Warfare The 2008 Battle for Sadr City
David E. Johnson, M. Wade Markel, Brian Shannon.RAND.

News and Media

Baghdad’s Shia Militia Plans for War on ISIS
Jacob Siegel . The Daily Beast. July 2014. A commander of Moqtada al Sadr’s newly renamed ‘Peace Brigades’ describes plans to reunify Iraq—with a little help from Iran. Will they fight ISIS as hard as they fought the U.S. Army?
Iraq crisis: rebranded insurgents gain whip hand on streets of Baghdad
Martin Chulov. The Guardian. June 2014. The Mahdi army, now renamed the Peace Brigades, parades its power in the Iraqi capital as it prepares to do battle with Sunni rebels in the north
The Mahdi Army: Turbans, Kalashnikovs and plans to 'slaughter'
DW. A notorious Shiite militia is preparing to march on its rapidly-advancing ISIS enemy. In the past, the Mahdi Army was known for death squads, arbitrary shootings, kidnappings and bombings.

Terrorism - Gov + Mil Sites

The Combating Terrorism Center (CTC) at West Point
The CTC produces in-depth research reports on terrorist ideology, terrorist strategy and structure, and emerging threat.
Department of State. Bureau of Counterterrorism.
Resources including annual Country Reports on Terrorism.
FBI. Terrorism.
Data on Threats, Most Wanted, links to other resources.
Foreign Military Studies.
Translated selections and analysis from a diverse range of foreign articles and other media.
Global Incident Map
Events, attacks, incidents and more tracked by location and filed by type.
National Counterterrorism Center. Terrorist Profiles.
Terrorists are listed by first name, last name, and common aliases.

Databases

Center for a New American Security (CNAS)
CNAS is an independent, bipartisan, nonprofit organization that develops strong, pragmatic, and principled national security and defense policies.
Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)
The Center’s 220 full-time staff and large network of affiliated scholars conduct research and analysis and develop policy initiatives that look to the future and anticipate change.
Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC)
The largest central resource for DoD and government-funded research, reports and papers.
Global Terrorism Database (GTD)
GTD is an open-source database with information on terrorist events around the world from 1970 through 2015. Includes systematic data on domestic and international terrorist incidents and now includes more than 150,000 cases
The Homeland Security Digital Library (HSDL)
Resources in the HSDL cover a wide range of homeland security topics and are carefully selected and evaluated.
RAND Corporation
The RAND Corporation is a nonprofit institution dedicated to high-quality and objective research and analysis and with sophisticated analytical tools.
Strategic Studies Institute (SSI)
SSI conducts strategic research and analysis and serves as a bridge to the wider strategic community with analysis, reports, newsletters, papers and more.