An Iraqi Hezbollah militant has offered to train Americans planning “liberation movements” in the wake of the siege of the U.S. Capitol last week.
“A senior military official from Iraqi Shiite militia Kataib Hezbollah Abu Ali al Askary has offered to ‘provide direct and indirect advice and training for liberation movements inside the United States of America, and special sites will be provided for this… USA The End,’” reported NBC News analyst Evan Kohlmann on Twitter.
Kohlmann added that it “is not entirely clear if al-Askary’s offer is genuine, or whether this is merely Kataib Hezbollah using social media to taunt the U.S. government in the wake of last week’s riot at the U.S. Capitol.”
It is not entirely clear if al-Askary’s offer is genuine, or whether this is merely Kataib Hezbollah using social media to taunt the U.S. government in the wake of last week’s riot at the U.S. Capitol.
— Evan Kohlmann (@IntelTweet)
January 13, 2021
Kataib Hezbollah is an Iranian-sponsored militia that operates in both Iraq and Syria. The group was responsible for many of the roadside bombings that killed U.S. forces in Iraq following the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of the country.
After the American withdrawal of troops from Iraq, the militia pivoted to defending the Assad regime in Syria and has been involved in terror activity in Iraq’s Anbar province.
National News correspondent Joyce Karam provided a screenshot of Askary’s social media post after the militant’s account was suspended by Twitter.
“In God’s name,” a translation of the post reads. “Security consultants for the Islamic Resistance are up and ready to offer direct and indirect training and advice for liberation movements inside the non-United States of America and will assign special locations for that.”
Translation:
“In God’s name
Security consultants for Islamic Resistance [Hezbollah] are up and ready to offer direct and indirect training and advice for liberation movements inside the non-United States of America and will assign special locations for that.”
— Joyce Karam (@Joyce_Karam)
January 13, 2021
The post comes as lawmakers are still debating the fallout of last week’s riot at the U.S. Capitol, which left five people dead, including four rioters and one police officer.
Some lawmakers have directly assigned blame to President Trump, who held a rally immediately before the riot where he repeated claims that the election was “stolen” and urged his followers to fight back by making their voices heard at the Capitol.
Democrats introduced articles of impeachment against the president, holding a vote Wednesday on whether or not to charge Trump with “incitement of insurrection.”