BLACKEAGLE
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Jeremy Binnie, London - IHS Jane's Defence Weekly
28 January 2015
A still from a video that emerged on 22 January shows an M1A1 Abrams tank in a large convoy of vehicles flying flags of the Iraqi Shia militia Kataib Hizbullah.
In an apparent reflection of the growing power of Iraq's pro-Iranian militias, an M1A1 Abrams tank has been spotted in videos showing a large convoy of vehicles operated by Kataib Hizbullah.
The videos were released on 25 January on YouTube channels that are supportive of Kataib Hizbullah, a Shia militant group that emerged as a major threat to US and British forces during the 2003-11 period and has been fighting alongside the Iraqi Army against the Islamic State militant group in recent months.
The same convoy appears to have been the same one that was seen in a photograph released by Iran's AhlulBayt News Agency on 16 January. The news agency reported that it was taken in the Al-Rahhaliyah area in the western province of Al-Anbar, which is largely controlled by Sunni militant groups.
The convoy was made up of at least 130 vehicles, almost all of them flying the group's distinctive flag.
Most of the vehicles are civilian pick-ups, minivans and trucks, some converted into weapons platforms, as well as supporting tankers and ambulances.
It also included eight Iranian-made Safir jeeps, the majority of them carrying 107 mm multiple rocket launchers, as well as several Humvees and mine-protected armoured vehicles.
At least six M113 armoured personnel carriers and a lone M1A1 tank were carried by heavy transporters at the rear of the convoy.
While Iraqi militias have been seen operating Humvees, M113s and Soviet-designed tanks before, this is the first time that one has been seen with an M1A1, a type that is only operated by the Iraqi Army's 9th Armoured Division.
COMMENT
The deployment of a sizeable Kataib Hizbullah force to Al-Anbar could hamper attempts to encourage more of the province's Sunni tribes to turn against the Islamic State.
Iraqi Shia militia spotted with Abrams tank - IHS Jane's 360
28 January 2015
A still from a video that emerged on 22 January shows an M1A1 Abrams tank in a large convoy of vehicles flying flags of the Iraqi Shia militia Kataib Hizbullah.
In an apparent reflection of the growing power of Iraq's pro-Iranian militias, an M1A1 Abrams tank has been spotted in videos showing a large convoy of vehicles operated by Kataib Hizbullah.
The videos were released on 25 January on YouTube channels that are supportive of Kataib Hizbullah, a Shia militant group that emerged as a major threat to US and British forces during the 2003-11 period and has been fighting alongside the Iraqi Army against the Islamic State militant group in recent months.
The same convoy appears to have been the same one that was seen in a photograph released by Iran's AhlulBayt News Agency on 16 January. The news agency reported that it was taken in the Al-Rahhaliyah area in the western province of Al-Anbar, which is largely controlled by Sunni militant groups.
The convoy was made up of at least 130 vehicles, almost all of them flying the group's distinctive flag.
Most of the vehicles are civilian pick-ups, minivans and trucks, some converted into weapons platforms, as well as supporting tankers and ambulances.
It also included eight Iranian-made Safir jeeps, the majority of them carrying 107 mm multiple rocket launchers, as well as several Humvees and mine-protected armoured vehicles.
At least six M113 armoured personnel carriers and a lone M1A1 tank were carried by heavy transporters at the rear of the convoy.
While Iraqi militias have been seen operating Humvees, M113s and Soviet-designed tanks before, this is the first time that one has been seen with an M1A1, a type that is only operated by the Iraqi Army's 9th Armoured Division.
COMMENT
The deployment of a sizeable Kataib Hizbullah force to Al-Anbar could hamper attempts to encourage more of the province's Sunni tribes to turn against the Islamic State.
Iraqi Shia militia spotted with Abrams tank - IHS Jane's 360
