Kata'ib Sayyid al-Shuhada
The Sayyid of Martyrs Battalions, or Kata'ib Sayyid al-Shuhada is an Iraqi Shia militia formed in 2013. Its stated mission is to protect " shrines across the globe", preserve "Iraqi unity" and to "put an end to the sectarian conflict".
The group has been described as an Iranian proxy, and is one of the original militias that formed the Popular Mobilization Forces in 2014. The group has close ties to the Badr Organization.
The group is also active in Syria, where its main focus is the protection of the Sayyidah Zaynab Mosque in the southern suburbs of Damascus. It militarily supports the al-Assad Government in the Syria Civil War, and engaged in the Battle of Al-Shaykh Maskin in December 2014 in Syria in support of the Syrian army.
