Ashab al-Kahf (militant group)
Ashab al-Kahf () is an Iraqi Shia militant group that has been described as a proxy formation of Iran. The group first emerged in August 2019, but increased in activity following the American assassination of Qasem Soleimani. It has attacked targets associated with the United States using rockets and improvised explosive devices. The group denies maintaining relationships with other Iranian-backed Shia paramilitary groups, such as Kata'ib Hezbollah and Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq. History The group announced its existence on Twitter in August 2019 following several suspected Israeli airstrikes on Shia militant groups in Iraq. However, there is speculation that the group may have been active since 2017 but refrained from launching attacks against U.S. forces due to their role in the military efforts against the Islamic State. After its announcement, the group threatened retaliation against future attacks, stating "Americans and the Israelis should know that bombings will be met with bombings, assassinations for assassinations, and kidnappings for kidnappings". In May 2020, the group criticized the leaders of other Iranian-backed Shia paramilitary groups through their Telegram channel, claiming some were "traitors" secretly advancing the interests of the United States and Israel, while others were morally corrupt. The group stated Qasem Soleimani and